Glass Animals, the pop-rock “Human Musical Group Sensations,” recently brought the energy to for a nearly sold-out show at Merriweather Post Pavilion on a sticky Saturday night.

After a brief rainstorm struck the area on August 17, the sun re-emerged just in time for supporting act Kevin Abstract, formerly of the group Brockhampton.

Kevin Abstract entered the stage and promptly jumped over the barricade into the pit. No one was expecting it to say the least. The rapper journeyed through the pit and up an aisle, serenading patrons who seemed just as confused as the staff and fellow photographers. Abstract got the crowd hyped with his down-to-earth aura. He played a few solo songs and then broke into Brockhampton tracks like “Gummy” and “Buzzcut.”

The anticipation in the crowd was palpable as I stood in behind the barricade facing a giant banner reading “I Love You So F***ing Much,” the title of the band’s fourth studio album, which dropped on July 19. I looked behind me to see a sea of people filling every crevice of the venue. I couldn’t see any green on the lawn. The stage suddenly filled with haze as the house lights went down. The curtain dropped to reveal the band on a spaceship, and the crowd erupted into excited screams. They opened with their newest album’s second track “whatthehellishappening?.”

Watch the official lyric video for “whatthehellishappening?” by Glass Animals on YouTube:

Glass Animals transitioned into their second song, “Life Itself,” which is my personal favorite song of theirs. The live version did not disappoint. I couldn’t help from singing the catchy chorus: “Cut back down to my knees. Gotta get back, gotta get free.” Lead singer, Dave Bayley, bounced around stage to the bombastic drums, and the crowd followed his groove.

The band played their most recent single “Wonderful Nothing” next. The intro begins with mysterious, crooning vocals from Bayley, which is followed by a dramatic pause, a gasp from Bayley, and an intense beat drop. The heavy bass and percussion electrified the venue– I could feel the bass in my feet. From there, they continued into “Space Ghost Coast to Coast,” one of my favorites off of their third album Dreamland.

The rest of the show kept up the energy, with many moments of Bayley expressing his gratitude towards the momentous crowd. Bayley mentioned at one point that he’d wanted to play Merriweather Post Pavilion since he was 12-years-old, but especially because of Animal Collective’s album Merriweather Post Pavilion, named after the venue. During “Gooey,” the only song played from their first album, Bayley ventured into the crowd, and performed almost entirely from the lawn railing.

“Take a Slice,” “Tokyo Drifting,” and “Pork Soda” played one after the other before their encore. “Take a Slice,” despite being released in 2016, the track has been trending on TikTok this summer. In June, the band posted a video performing the song captioned: “Apparently this song is trending on tik tok under a much better title than the original title: ‘if u use this sound u stink.’ The internet is great.”

Released in 2019, “Tokyo Drifting” originally featured the rapper Denzel Curry. The song’s line “Wavey Davey’s on fire” inspired the crowd chant “Wavey Davey” followed by five claps — this happened twice at the Merriweather show. “Pork Soda” featured a pineapple in the crowd, a long time trend which stems from the song’s lyric “Pineapple’s are in my head.” At some point, Bayley looked overcome with emotion and professed that “Merriweather Post Pavilion is one of the best venues in the world.”

Watch the official music video for “Tokyo Drifting” by Glass Animals on YouTube:

The band said their goodbyes on stage and exited after “Pork Soda.” A video popped up on screen displaying two galaxies talking to each other like overzealous fans. The bit riffed on how that couldn’t have been the end of the show because “they haven’t even played heat waves yet” and “omg or the other side of paradise.” It was a funny interlude that poked fun at the silliness of planned encores, but I thought it worked, fully leaning into the modern fan culture.

During the “Heat Waves” finale, an awestruck Bayley said that “I think that was the loudest we’ve ever had. I think we can go a little louder though, huh?” The crowd did not disappoint. At the very end he proclaimed “That was absolutely incredible. Thank you guys so much. That was unforgettable.” The video screens displayed “Thank You So F***ing Much” as they walked off for the final time.

I’m always wary of statements made at the shows about the crowd or the venue being fantastic, simply because it seems like a bit that could be said anywhere. However, at this performance I believed every word of affirmation about the crowd and Merriweather. I feel immense pride when bands express love for Merriweather, having grown up in Columbia and working there as event staff for eight plus years. I remember how I graduated from high school on that stage, where countless of my favorite bands/artists have played there before and after my graduation. I’m totally biased in my love for Merriweather, but I do genuinely think there’s something incredibly special about live performances there.

My first, and hopefully not last time seeing Glass Animals, and I can confidently say that Wavey Davey was in fact, on fire.

Here are some photos of Glass Animals performing at Merriweather Post Pavilion on August 17, 2024. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Carolin Harvey. (But first a few photos of Kevin Abstract!)