New York duo, Phantogram, performed to a full house at the House of Blues in Anaheim, California. Concert goers arrived early at the Anaheim Garden Walk to grab dinner at the House of Blue restaurant and grab an exclusive early access ticket to the venue. Fans also arrived early to participate in a Meet and Greet with Sarah Barthel and Josh Carter of Phantogram where they were able to get a picture taken with them and partake in a special Q&A. The doors opened to the venue at 7:00 pm, and the artist, GLU kicked off the show at 8:00PM. GLU is the musical project of Michael Shuman, lead singer of Mini Mansions and guitarist for Queens of the Stone Age.

The Southern California audience was weary from standing up against the barricade for hours but were anxious and ready for Phantogram’s upcoming set. Fans recounted what they love about Phantogram is their energy, psychedelic dreamy vibe, and how each of their albums are different and insightful. Several fans in the audience shared their experiences at Phantogram’s set at Lightning in the Bottle music festival.

The New York duo began their show around 9:15pm as the music went quiet and the show lights went dim. Sarah Barthel mentioned to the audience that it has been fifteen years since they had performed at the House of Blues. The musical duo have been lifelong friends since preschool and have produced four diverse studio albums. Their music encompasses Barthel’s high octane vocals with dreamy pop melodies blended into the background sounds. Their music also envelopes Carter’s multi-instrumental guitar riffs and their innovation of blending trip-hop, electronic, and experimental beats.

Their latest studio release, ‘Ceremony’ which is their fourth album was released on March 6, 2020. The album involves healing and recovery from many introspective factors from their lives which has impacted and resonated with many of their fans. ‘Ceremony’ was released during a time the world was undergoing the times of the pandemic and recouping from worldwide events. At the same time, the band was deeply impacted and grieving from a family loss during the recording of their 2016 album, ‘Three.’ The album highlights the themes of experiencing difficult times and recovering from pain and heartbreak and how to persevere. Phantogram have donated proceeds of their music earnings through fundraising projects to organizations such as Suicide Prevention.

In addition to the group’s studio albums, the bands have collaborated on music with artists such as Big Boi from Outkast and for films and Netflix series. Their band name is kin to their metamorphsis of their musical journey and the everchanging dynamic of the music they create. When they originally decided to change their name to Phantogram, they found the name referred to an optical illuson in which two dimensional images appear to be three dimensional. The definition of Phantogram is what the artists saw reflected in their musical vision and what their music embodied such as ethreal rhythms, heavy guitar, electronic keyboards, dream pop, and tri hop.

For more information and upcoming tour dates, visit Phantogram.

Setlist

You're Mine

Black Out Days

Run Run Blood

Don't Move

Pedestal

Same Old Blues

Bad Dreams

Mouthful of Diamonds

Fall in Love

Cruel World

Howling at the Moon

Mister Impossible

You Don't Get Me High Anymore

Encore

Answer

When I'm Small

Coverage by Veronica Potes // Instagram: @veropoteart

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Phantogram return to the House of Blues Anaheim Post Pandemic