The first time that I saw Passion Pit was at the 9:30 Club on May 6, 2015 for the “Kindred” tour. My friend had invited me to attend, and I had decided to go out of pure curiosity. At that time, “Take a Walk” was on constant radio rotation…it was everywhere!  Fast forward to May 25, 2019 and here I am, at The Anthem for Passion Pit’s last stop of their 10 Year Anniversary Tour of their debut album, Manners.  I’ll admit, I am still a casual fan, but I am nearly always down to attend a show, especially if it helps out a friend and results in some decent photographs.

The supporting band was The Beaches. They were a rocking foursome of ladies from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The band had a slightly heavy, alterna-rock sound that they laid down for the crowd. These women were what I’d hoped to be back in the day…so effortlessly cool and talented…with sparkly outfits. They hyped the audience with their mini catalog of tunes. A couple of the standout tunes for me were “Money” and “Gold.”  Their set was tight and highly energetic. Here are photos of The Beaches opening for Passion Pit.

Then, Passion Pit took the stage. They opened up with “Make Light.” The stage set-up had the band performing behind neon lighting while Michael Angelakos did his thing at the front. Angelakos had an infectious energy as he danced and moved his way all over the stage.

As a photographer, the lighting was a challenge. I was curious as to why a band that had done so well had such dark lighting. Later, after a little research, I discovered that Angelakos was never really comfortable being in the spotlight. At one point during the show, he actually confirmed this when he paused to comment that he had been under the impression that the last time they had played in DC would be the final visit to our city. (I had to look up the tour date he had referenced and discovered it was only as recent as a double booking in early January 2019.). I never knew that they’d considered hanging it up.

Apparently, since then, they’d decided to do an anniversary tour in celebration of “Manners,” and Michael was using it as a sort of therapy because, once he was able to separate personal matters from the album itself, he realized, “This is a great record!”  At points in the show, the lighting went from dimly-lit to blindingly bright as strobes and house lights went to full power to accentuate moments in the songs being performed.  It was a challenge photographically; however, once I got back to my place at the balcony, it was fun to watch over the audience as they participated in the group singalong.

After the completion of “Manners,” the band took a mini intermission.  Then they came back on stage to perform five more songs, among which I’d recognized, “Carried Away” and “Take a Walk.”  At the end, Angelakos profusely thanked the audience for making the last stop of the tour a great experience. Hopefully, this tour was what he needed to inspire creativity and continue on his musical path. Time will only tell.

Enjoy some photos of Passion Pit performing at The Anthem on May 25th. All photos copyright and courtesy of Deanna Escobar.