104.5 Birthday Celebration – BB&T Pavilion – Camden, NJ – May 13, 2017 (A PopEntertainment.com C

Updated: Mar 19, 2020

104.5 10th Birthday Celebration – Kings of Leon, Bastille, Empire of the Sun, The 1975, Fitz and the Tantrums, Rag‘n’Bone Man & PHNTMS –BB&T Pavilion – Camden, NJ – May 13, 2017

On Saturday May 13, alternative music fans from all over the greater Philadelphia area fled to Camden NJ for night one of the Radio 104.5 Birthday Show, which rocked the BB&T Pavilion despite the wet and cold rainy weather. The lineup featured an array of groups that have been dominating the alternative charts including PHNTMS, Rag’n’Bone Man, Fitz and the Tantrums, The 1975, Empire of the Sun, Bastille, and two-time Grammy award winning group Kings of Leon.

The show opened up with Philadelphia native’s PHNTMS. They were followed by a performance by Rag’n’Bone Man, who is best known for his newly released hit “Human.” Rag’n’Bone Man’s very distinct vocals, along with his extremely soulful bravado, left a lasting impression on the audience. It really set the tone for the rest of the show.

Next on stage were Fitz and the Tantrums. They were not only a crowd favorite, but a personal favorite as well. Their set featured some of the band’s most popular jams including “Roll Up”, “HandClap”, and “The Walker.” Throughout their performance, there was a very strong presence of offbeat instrumentation like tambourine and jazz horns. This made the energy on stage contagious, resulting in an amazing response from the crowd.

It’s hard to follow up an unforgettable performance like that, but The 1975 hit the stage and lived up to the standards that were set extremely high by Fitz, Noelle and crew. Front man Matty Healy opened up the set by singing their eponymous hit “The 1975” followed by several other songs off their fairly recent album I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware of It. The set also included “Love Me,” “UGH!” and “A Change of Heart.” “The Sound” not only set fans into a screaming rage of excitement, but resulted in a huge singalong during the last few songs of their set.

Theatrical rock group Empire of the Sun put on a show unlike no other. The band did not just perform their music, but they put on a show that included everything a concert junkie could dream. There were dancers, several flamboyant costumes changes, smoke machines, strobe lights, not to mention the destruction of one amp and three guitars by the group’s lead singer Luke Steele. Empire of the Sun performed a multitude of songs that really spoke to the crowd. The band presented their songs in a way I have never seen before. The majority of the songs by the group were off their 2016 album Two Vines, like “High and Low,” “Friends” and “Walking on a Dream.”

Following Empire of the Sun was one of the most anticipated performances of the night: Bastille, featuring front man Dan Smith. The group from the United Kingdom brought a little bit of everything to the stage during their ten-song performance. Featured were some of their older hits – like “Flaws” and “Send Them Off” – in addition to some of their newly released bops from their 2016 album such as “Good Grief” and “Fake It.” The crowd fed off their energy and sang along to almost every song they performed. The group ended their set with one of their up-and-coming songs, “Blame,” in addition to their five-time platinum song “Pompeii” which had the crowd singing and dancing from the beginning to end.

The last group up was Kings of Leon, who were the icing on the cake to the show. The band performed their hits old and new including “Radioactive,” “Use Somebody” and “Sex on Fire.” The crowd fed off the group’s undeniable talent. It was the perfect way to conclude a show filled with so many mind-blowing performances.

The second night of the Radio 104.5 Tenth Birthday Show Celebration is scheduled for June 11th. Even though it is sold out, I highly recommend trying to get tickets. If it is anything like night one, it will most definitely not disappoint!

Rachel Disipio