Amsterdam, the Netherlands – Earlier this year, American alternative rock band Young the Giant released their latest album, Victory Garden. With their European tour now underway, the band is bringing its new music to the stage. Tonight, the tour brings them to Amsterdam’s Paradiso.
Norwegian artist and producer Ora the Molecule opened the evening with a blend of electronic sounds and space disco. Wearing a white, futuristic-looking outfit and a helmet covered in disco mirrors, she immediately grabbed everyone’s attention. The infectious beats and dazzling light show soon got the crowd moving.
She played songs from her album Dance Therapy, released last year, such as “Intergalactic Dance” and “Prince of the Rhythm”, as well as older songs like “Salé”. My personal favourites were the dreamy “Helicopter” and the irresistibly danceable “Løveskatt’’. Every now and then, she stepped away from her electronic setup to dance at the front of the stage and interact more with the audience. The occasional use of a theremin added to the spacey feel of the performance.
Although I hadn’t heard of her before, I noticed that some people in the crowd were already singing along to her songs. With her energetic performance and playful stage presence, Ora the Molecule got the evening off to a lively start.
Young the Giant kicked off their set with “Evergreen”, from their latest album Victory Garden, which proved to be an excellent choice to open the show. The crowd seemed to be into it from the start, as the band threw themselves into the music and set the tone for an energetic evening. The pace stayed high throughout the set, with the band moving quickly from one song to the next. Older favourites like “Superposition”, “Silvertongue” and “Something to Believe In” were mixed with newer tracks such as “Bitter Fruit”, “Already There” and “This Too Shall Pass”.
What made the performance stand out was how fully the band committed to the music. Lead singer Sameer Gadhia performed with complete conviction, and his voice was just as powerful and compelling live. The emotional “This Too Shall Pass” was a particularly fitting moment in the set. With Victory Garden built around the idea of radical empathy and choosing love over fear, the song’s message of hope felt right at home among the new material.
Even without guitarist Jacob Tilley, who had recently become a father and stayed home for the tour, the band delivered a strong performance. The crowd erupted when they played “My Body”, their breakthrough hit from 2010. Another fan favourite, “Cough Syrup”, also featured in the set before the band closed the night with “Mind Over Matter”. There was no encore, which seemed to leave some of the audience hoping for more, but Young the Giant had delivered an energetic and thoroughly enjoyable show.
Ora the Molecule
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Young The Giant
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Setlist:
Evergreen
Superposition
Bitter Fruit
Apartment
Repeat
Mr. Know It All
Silvertongue
Something To Believe In
Already There
Garands
Mona Lisa
I Got
This Too Shall Pass
Titus Was Born
Ships Passing
Different Kind Of Love
My Body
Teachers
Cough Syrup
The Walk Home
Mind Over Matter
Show date 15.10.2026
