Words by Addy Walter
Glass Animals has that type of music where you can close your eyes and feel it in your soul. It wisps you away into a colorful, peaceful universe and the lyrics flow through your head like a poem. On the evening of August 8th at Brooklyn’s oasis-like venue, The Brooklyn Mirage, Glass Animals made that word a reality, giving their fans an immersive, out-of-this-world deep dive into their critically acclaimed album Dreamland.
The band took over the entire venue, from entrance to stage. They filled the Great Hall with an immersive and nostalgic Dreamland aesthetic that featured previous stage prop neon displays from the band’s 2021-2022 Dreamland Tour. Signs included an old cell phone, a giant spilled cereal bowl, shoes wrapped over a basketball hoop, hotel signs and the band members floating heads. The purple, blue and pink neon lights created an ambiance throughout the venue as people lined up to take photos with everything.
Past the food court, going further into the Mirage, the venue opened into a massive GA pit area, with a stage and a screen that stretched halfway around the venue. The screen showed early 2000’s-esuqe imagery related to the album, mimicking the aesthetic of the pieces within the Great Hall.
It was an extremely hot Brooklyn night – cue Glass Animals’ hit song, “Heat Waves” – but venue staff took care of crowd members by passing out waters and placing large misting fans around the venue to keep everyone hydrated. While the unique displays and colorful lights were spectacular, Glass Animals were the real stars of the night.
The band, made up of Dave Bayley, Joe Seaward, Ed Irwin-Singer, and Drew Macfarlane, took to the stage and immediately energized the crowd kicking off their set with the title track from Dreamland. The way the band interacted with each other and their fans was extraordinary to watch. Lead vocalist, Dave Bayley bounced around the stage to the beat, but made sure to stop at both sides of the stage in order to get a real good look at 8,000 person crowd, and took a moment to flash a huge welcoming smile and take everything in.
Glass Animals are the type of performers that you can tell truly enjoy their music and what they do and care deeply for the fans that show up to celebrate them – it’s infectious! You could tell that the band’s energy translated to the crowd by the way everyone bounced around with Bayley, the crowd moving like a giant wave.
The band played a lengthy yet energetic set list of close to 20 songs. Some favorites included “Space Ghost Coast to Coast”, “Your Love (Déjà Vu)”, as well as some old favorites “The Other Side of Paradise” and “Black Mambo.” Glass Animals concluded their performance with an extravagant encore featuring their two most popular hits, “Heat Waves” and “Tokyo Drifting.”
I have been to Glass Animals concerts in the past but this show was truly something for the books. They are a band you definitely do not want to miss if you are a live music fan. The thoughtfulness and creativity put into this particular show was exceptional and I hope this experience encourages other artists to follow suit. Diving into an album-inspired immersive world before hearing and watching that music performed live was sensational.
