By Adriana Elias, Courier News Editor
LANY, the alternative band consisting of Paul Klein, Jake Goss and Les Priest, played their first headlining show in San Francisco at the Regency Ballroom on Thursday night and did not disappoint.
You could feel the anticipation before you even stepped foot into the venue. There were fans lined up into the alleyway waiting to get in and see the band, with some waiting for several hours. The doors opened at 7 PM, and from then on, it was pure excitement in the ballroom.
As soon as the lights dimmed and the show started, you could already sense that this concert was much different than others. The set began with a video of Whitney Houston singing the national anthem at Superbowl XXV, projected onto the screens behind the instruments. This was a small nod of respect towards the late singer. After this, LANY walked onto the stage and the crowd went wild. Not the kind of wild seen at other shows where people raise their phones for the majority of the performance. In fact, there were rarely any phones blocking the views throughout the entire show. The fans were respectful to the people around them, and it was evident they were all there for the sole purpose of enjoying the music and dancing.
LANY’s production value was incredibly high. There were lights to correlate with every song they performed, the light panels behind them projected images that made the band look like mystical gods, and the sound was beyond immaculate. Some people even thought that the singers were lip syncing to their recorded tracks because of how great they sounded live. The band loved performing, and their passion radiated towards their audience members. Without having any prior knowledge of this band, anyone could have gone to a LANY show and tell that the band truly puts their hearts into music so that everyone can have a great time.
No matter what age group was there, they were all dancing and enjoying themselves once LANY began. The intimacy that LANY shares with their crowd is something that many people will never experience with other bands, and the show itself changes how people view concerts. This band will steal your heart and make you dance all night, so if you are ever given the opportunity to see them live, take it.