Passion Pit gets thousands dancing at UNC

All photos by Kevin Norris

Friday night brought in some very cold weather, but the thousands of students and spectators at Carmichael Auditorium at UNC were warmed by the infectious pop sounds of Passion Pit.

The band kicked things off with "I've Got Your Number" from their 2008 EP Chunk of Change. From there, the band rarely let up, hitting the crowd all but one song from their breakthrough album Manners.

In the short time the band has been around, they have become a force to be reckoned with. Frontman Michael Angelakos bounded around the stage, interacted with the front row and belted out his trademark falsetto like a seasoned rock veteran.

The hits "The Reeling" and "Little Secret" were obvious crowd favorites during the main set, but "Let Your Grow Tall" and "Better Things" were stand outs too. The set was tight and intense from beginning to end.

The band seemed giddy during the show, noting that is was the biggest crowd on their current tour. They also noted that the show was special because everything seemed to be clicking, which certainly appeared to be the case.

When the band returned for the encore, they killed "Eyes Like Candles" and then came the one song that fell flat on the crowd. The guys covered the classic Cranberries tune "Dreams," quite well I might add, but the crowd's response was timid, which was surprising until I remembered that almost everyone there was still a toddler when the song was released.

The room exploded as the group closed the night with the raucous electro dance hit "Sleepyhead." The crowd bounced up and down like a British crowd at Glastonbury. It was a sight to see.

Texas band Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears opened the show with a groovy set of 1970s inspired blues and soul, complete with a horn section. The band put on a decent show, but frontman Joe Lewis seemed defeated from the outset. The young crowd didn't really seem to get into the set and Lewis seemed to realize that.

The song "Bitch, I Love You" got the crowd's attention briefly, but it really didn't seem to last very long. Clearly, this wasn't the right crowd for the band.

Passion Pit set list
I've Got Your Number
Make Light
Better Things
The Reeling
Moth's Wings
Swimming in the Flood
To Kingdom Come
Let Your Love Grow Tall
Live To Tell the Tale
Fold In Your Hands
Smile Upon Me
Little Secret
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Eyes As Candles
Dreams (The Cranberries cover)
Sleepyhead

Passion Pit







Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears