Walk The Moon Reach For the Stars, Take Main Stage at MSG
By Lauren Johnson
On Wednesday, June 20, Ohio-grown band Walk The Moon took the main stage at Madison Square Garden along with Thirty Seconds to Mars, MisterWives, and Joywave on their joint North American MONOLITH Tour.
Photo Credit: Jeremy Cowart
Walk The Moon – known for their breakout hit “Shut Up and Dance” – certainly knew how to get the party started as they came on stage to perform in front of an eager crowd. The huge NYC stadium began to fill in as fantastic openers, Joywave, played an upbeat show that no-doubt successfully converted those hearing them for the first time into new fans. Following Joywave, MisterWives and their ever-effervescent, bubbly, and energetic lead singer Mandy Lee Duffy took the stage, getting crowds pumped after a brief but powerful set playing some of their best-known hits, including their latest single, “Machine.”
By the time MisterWives closed out their set, Madison Square Garden was nearing capacity, brimming with anticipation for the next act: Walk The Moon. You could tell that people were excited. I struck up a conversation with the woman seated next to me who, when I asked her who she was here to see, quickly replied with “Oh I’m here for Walk The Moon – they’re my band.”
It seemed that many others agreed. Walk The Moon made an epic entrance on the scene to Elton John’s “Circle of Life” before launching into a full-blown powerhouse rendition of their popular single “One Foot.” If people were sitting in their seats prior to this song, they weren’t anymore. With an incredible mix of light and sound that filled the stadium with the band’s 80s-synth-reminiscent sound and Nicholas Petricca’s smooth vocals, Walk The Moon brought such an incredibly infectious energy that kept building throughout the entire set, that by the time they got to play “Shut Up and Dance,” it was explosive – the crowd went nuts as they sang along to the band’s biggest hit.
Photo Credit: Brian Ziff
Their forty-five minute show set the stage for the final headlining act – Jared and Shannon Leto’s Thirty Seconds to Mars. Thirty Seconds to Mars took the show home with a grand and cinematic entrance, to thunderous applause, as Leto drew on the energy of the already-pumped crowd during the band’s crescendo of a performance.
Walk The Moon certainly has long-standing appeal, with a unique throwback sound and a diverse range of songs capable of appealing to a wide audience.
To see for yourself, keep up with Walk the Moon by following them on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.