Photos by Jayson Yee
Portugal. The Man and Grouplove closed out their last stop on this year’s Honda Civic Tour this past Tuesday night by putting on a stellar performance in the heart of New York City. Grouplove, best known for their catchy track “Tongue Tied”, is based in LA and made up of Hannah Hooper (vocals, keys), Christian Zucconi (vocals, guitar), Sean Gadd (bass, vocals), Andrew Wessen (guitar, vocals) and Ryan Rabin (drums). They had the sold out venue in Central Park bouncing the entire night, ending their co-headlining tour with Portugal. The Man with a bang. Opening with their new single, “I’m With You”, and followed by “Itchin’ on a Photograph”, they received show-stopping applause from everyone, setting the mood for a perfect late summer evening. After these two opening songs, even the drinking crowd on the bleachers was up on their feet jumping. Hannah Hooper, aka “Lady Grouplove,” was remarkable on stage. She had amazing energy and stage presence that just radiated from her.
As the band prepared to end their set, they decided to give the fans a treat by performing a great rendition of The Who’s “Baba O’Riley” joined on stage by Portugal. The Man. At this point of the show, you could tell that the crowd was absolutely overjoyed. A smooth transition was made as Portugal. The Man gave their fans a cover of Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall” followed by the popular “Purple, Yellow, Red and Blue”. Singer/Guitarist John Gourley and singer/bassist Zachary Carothers were in sync with each other, and the lighting during their performance was quite impressive. “Modern Jesus” was a personal favorite. The guitar solos throughout the night really showcased their musicianship, making for a great improv live performance.