Young the Giant @ STL Music Park | 06.24.23
Alt-indie rockers Young the Giant did not disappoint at St. Louis Music Park in Maryland Heights, Missouri on June 24th, 2023 in support of their recent releases American Bollywood and the acoustic Both Sides EP.
Back in 2017, I photographed Young the Giant for the now-defunct music site Speakers in Code. I remember walking away from their set very impressed. This was the era of big pop indie arena anthems, and I felt they had a sense of presentation and musicianship that helped them stand out from their cohorts. Vocalist Sameer Gadhia has an amazing set of pipes on him, and guitarists Jacob Tiley and Eric Cannata play the role of the tasteful pedal nerds quite well. Young the Giant’s music may not always come off as deep as some people may like, but their compelling instrumentation and, at times, almost cinematic production deserves consideration and respect.
Their latest LP, American Bollywood, is a vibes forward experience. These are tracks meant to be on float trip playlists or for when hosting a low-key backyard function. There are some Eastern elements, no doubt inspired by Gadhia’s upbringing in a family proficient in Indian classical music, that play rather nicely with the reverb drenched synths and guitars. I personally found some lyrics to be a bit too repetitive and others to maybe not have the impact intended by their author, but there is a personal story being told by Gadhia in American Bollywood, both of his own alienated experience in America and that of his immigrant father, that shines through with both pathos and beauty.
It was on a particularly hot evening in the Midwest, in the shadow of a casino near a garbage dump, at a concert venue that is also sometimes an ice skating rink, that I noticed myself feeling a bit out of place. Though Young the Giant’s performance, I found an experience I had been missing for a long while.
Young the Giant opened with the title track off American Bollywood, which both sets the stage for many of the album’s themes, and set the tone for a large portion of their performance at St. Louis Music Park. From there, they moved on to “Wake Up,” a song that touches on reincarnation, Samsara, and other conceptions related to Hinduism and Buddhism. When Young the Giant switched to “Cough Syrup,” an early single from their self-titled 2010 release, the crowd was locked in. Some were head banging and cheering, while others were singing along like they were at a folk punk show at the local DIY spot. There’s a joke that goes around those in the scene here that St. Louis crowds can sometimes come off as a little stiff and bored, like there’s some high school bully hiding in the bushes that’s going to make them eat dirt if they look like they’re having fun, but this was not sort of crowd.
As I exited the photo pit, I thought about heading home and editing. I am still dealing with some long COVID issues, though I am having more good days than bad, and the heat was a little overwhelming. I don’t think anyone would have blamed me if I had bounced. However, as I walked along the path behind the floor seats, snapping the occasional wide shot, I found myself drawn in. Young the Giant were one of the last bands I had photographed at a large venue before things got really weird in my life. For a few years, I didn’t really take photos. But here I was, in 2023, photographing them again and finding a quiet joy as I took it all in. It was during “The Walk Home,” a song about being alone and seeking companionship through the journey that is life, that I thought, “Oh, shit. I’m going to have a moment, aren’t I?”
I might have.
There was a time where I was really into Alan Watts, a British scholar that wrote a lot of books and gave many, many lectures on Eastern religion. I remember being very fond of a lecture where he described the Hindu concept of Lila as, and I am heavily paraphrasing here, the universe showing you its true self, often as something playful but also maybe poignant. And maybe here, between a casino and a garbage dump, the universe was showing me itself, here on a stage. Maybe a little on the nose, but I’ll take it.
As exhaustion finally got the best of me, I slowly made my way out of the venue. The chorus of “Tonight” following me out to my car.
“You look in the mirror, baby
Tell me, what do you see this time?
Spend your life with the brokenhearted
Tell me, where have you been tonight?”
I would highly suggest catching Young the Giant the next time they come through your town and see what the universe has in store for you.
The Shoot
This was a very fun shoot, but it wasn’t without some difficulties. As shown in the photo above, the photo pit was about the tightest I ever photographed in. The feet of the barricades extended to the subs at the front of the stage, which gave us photographers a tough go. Despite that, I am pretty happy with the photos I got out of this one. Lots of good lighting and Young the Giant give a compelling performance.
I shot with my trusty Fujifilm GFX50sII and the GF35-70mm f4.5-5.6 WR kit lens, as well as the crop-sensor Fujifilm X-S10 with a Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 DC DN Contemporary Lens. I really liked what I got with the GF35-70mm f4.5-5.6 WR. The worst thing about the lens is its focus speed. With good light, the variable aperture doesn’t really bother me and it is a surprisingly sharp piece of glass. I feel like I can photograph big shows with this lens and not worry too much. The X-S10 with the Sigma zoom was basically a back up for when the GFX50sII was hitting buffer or starting to overheat. Generally very happy with those photos, as well. The Sigma is very sharp lens and focuses very well. I might be working this two body combo in the future, though I miss having a 70-200mm equivalent lenses in the mix.
Check out the rest of my photos of Young the Giant at St. Louis Music Park here!