Title: Boys Like Girls Rock the Hollywood Palladium
Photos & Article By: Ericka Puyat
On October 1st, the Hollywood Palladium became the place to be as fans showed out for Boys Like Girls’ Speaking Our Language Tour. While the official tour poster indicated only two openers for the Los Angeles concert, the City of Angeles was graced with dynamic performances by four of the touring opening acts — The Ready Set, LØLØ, 3OH!3, and State Champs. Together with Boys Like Girls, the show marked a blazing revival of the cherished 2000s nostalgia for all in attendance.
Although the concert was initially slated to start at 7PM, The Ready Set (aka Jordan Witzigreuter) took the stage at around 6:25PM. The Indiana-born singer-songwriter gained prominence in the late 2000s for his fusion of feel-good electro-pop music. After operating the last few years under the moniker Only Child, The Ready Set made his long-awaited comeback last year with newfound vigor. Despite the unexpected early start, he warmed up the crowd with one of his newer releases, “Who You Really Are,” followed by “Stays Four The Same” and “ACT 2.” At one point, the stage was bathed in a striking split tone of pink and blue light that perfectly complemented the songs’ vibrant sounds. His set reached its climax when he closed out with his biggest hits, “Love Like Woe” and “Give Me Your Hand (Best Song Ever).” The two songs hit the audience with nostalgia and sent them into a frenzy as they jumped and sang the lyrics at the top of their lungs. Fresh off the release of his latest song, “Loose Change,” The Ready Set will be returning with his sixth studio album, Cherryland on October 27th.
The Ready Set Photo Gallery
While The Ready Set filled the crowd with his feel-good music, following act LØLØ (aka Lauren Mandel) welcomed the audience into her punk-pop realm. The rising 26-year-old singer-songwriter grew up jamming to Green Day and Weezer and singing to the likes of Avril Lavigne and Hilary Duff which can be heard in her songs’ sharp and unfiltered lyrics about heartbreak, anxiety, and everything in between over gritty instrumentals. LØLØ and her band exploded onto the stage with unmatched fervor as they kicked things off with her songs, “junkie,” “death wish,” and “THE FLOOR IS LAVA!!” On stage, she was completely in her element — she danced, headbanged, struck playful poses, and even threw pom poms into the crowd as everyone jammed along, enjoying her engaging stage presence. LØLØ ‘s music journey began on TikTok after her witty interpretations of iconic hit songs garnered a strong following and the eyes of music executives. At the concert, the crowd was pleasantly surprised to hear samples of The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside” in her song “Faceplant” as well as the Bring It On’s “Brr…It’s Cold in Here” cheer chant in her song, “debbie downer.” With new music on the way, LØLØ is ready to carve out her own niche in the industry.
LoLo Photo Gallery
The crowd’s energy at this time was at a high, but the party truly started as soon as legendary duo 3OH!3 took to the stage. Consisting of frontmen Sean Foreman and Nathaniel Motte, the duo is most known for crafting some of the most iconic party anthems of the 2000s. Even after all the time that’s passed, 3OH!3 embodied their chaotic, carefree spirit as they tore up the stage with their goofy and quirky dance moves. The crowd matched their energy and turned feral for their most recognized tracks “Starstrukk,” “My First Kiss,” and “Don’t Trust Me.” The duo also showcased their versatility with seamless transitions from their anthemic hits to more introspective tracks such as “Colorado Sunrise” and “Lonely Machines.” From start to end, their performance was nothing short of unforgettable.
3OH!3 Photo Gallery
While 3OH!3 turned the venue into a club, State Champs’ set filled the room with pop-punk nostalgia. Hailing from New York, the band was formed in 2010 and has remained steadfast and rooted in the pop-punk sound that they have nurtured for over a decade. During songs like “Criminal,” a circle pit formed in the middle of the GA floor as concertgoers while songs such as “Dead and Gone,” “Fake It,” and “Secrets” were complimented by an endless stream of crowd surfers. The overall atmosphere was hyped and whether you were a longtime fan or just discovering them for the first time, State Champs’ welcomed everyone to their family with open arms.
State Champs Photo Gallery
Finally, the moment everyone had been waiting for arrived as Boys Like Girls took their rightful place on stage and opened their set with “Love Drunk,” “5 Minutes to Midnight,” and “Blood and Sugar.” Lead singer Martin Johnson’s vocals were just as strong as ever as he and the band graced the audience with a rousing 30-ish song setlist of their newer releases and beloved hits over the span of 90 minutes. Midway through the set, Boys Like Girls performed mash-ups of their songs along with snippets of live covers. “Language” flowed seamlessly into Neil Diamond’s “Sweet/Oh Caroline” while their rendition of Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in The USA” eased into their song, “Heart Heart Heartbreak.”
In between songs, Johnson found time to hit the audience with some more throwback nostalgia. Casually strumming his guitar, he shared what set the band apart from their fans, “See, we were making music. YOU. You were stealing it off of Limewire,” he stated. He continued to reminiscence how everyone would download the song in perfect playlist order and burn the CD for friends, very well knowing that said bootleg CDs were sitting in a car visor rack with their first album’s logo drawn in sharpie. The laughter, echoes of “oh my god,” and the guilty smiles plastered on everyone’s faces spoke for itself.
Boys Like Girls Photo Gallery
As the night drew to a close, the stage was shrouded in dark blue lights and Martin put his guitar down to give the audience his full, undivided attention. He serenaded concertgoers with the heartfelt ballad, “Cry” before he and the band reassumed their positions for a rousing performance of the anthemic track, “The Outside” joined by The Ready Set, State Champs, and 3OH!3.
Following suit was the most anticipated song that started it all — “The Great Escape.” After the first chorus, the band abruptly stopped and Johnson repeatedly checked if everyone got the video for their social media feeds before asking for all phones to be put away for the song’s entire 3-minute and 14-second duration. “In 2006 when this song came out man, we were playing at a much smaller spot but I’ll tell you this — you guys were jumping up and down, you were screaming every word, you were flying through the air and there weren’t any cell phones around so you weren’t worried about fucking being stuck in somebody’s TikTok looking like a jackass,” he said to a chorus of cheers. His message was received loud and clear and the band and fans became one as everyone threw their free hands in the air and sang to their heart’s content. For the final send-off, Johnson closed out the long-awaited Speaking Our Langage Tour with a solo, stripped-down performance of “Two Is Better Than One.”
The Speaking Our Language Tour marked the vibrant revival of an era that left such an undeniable mark on many. Like a carefully curated playlist of timeless experiences, the show transported fans back to their formative years with nostalgic emo-punk anthems while forging new memories and connections with the newer releases. No matter what stage of life we’re all in, music remains the one constant that unites everyone together.
