Portugal. The Man and Grouplove at Central Park Summerstage (September 16, 2014)

Last night Atlantic Records buddies Portugal. The Man and Grouplove played to a sold out crowd at Central Park. The show was the final one of their time spent together as a part of the Honda Civic Tour, making it an all out celebration of their time together.

Grouplove were up first, and were highly successful in getting the energy of the (very young) crowd up to the levels that they desired. They played all the fan favorites off their two albums, including “Itchin’ On A Photograph,” “Colours,” and of course, “Tounge Tied.” These guys have become full-fledged stars, with palpable screams and scream-alongs following almost every note that they played. I had first posted about these guys when they were just known as Group, so it’s amazing to see how far they’ve come in such a small period of time. The night also included a cover of Beyonce’s “Drunk In Love,” as well as a fun cover of The Who’s “Baba O’Riley,” where they were joined by Portgual. The Man.

The theme of covers continued immediately with Portugal. The Man, with their set opening cover of Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick In The Wall Part 2,” which transitioned right into “Purple, Yellow, Red and Blue.” From there they dazzled with a strong, confident set, that consisted mostly of songs from last year’s Evil Friends. They also turned back the clocks with “All Your Light (Times Like These),” “People Say,” and the always epic “Sleep Forever.”

Frontman John Gourley rocked out with a hat and pair of shades, just oozing with a quiet confidence. Then you had bassist Zach Carothers who looked like he was having the time of his life out there, more freely sharing that enthusiasm during their performance. They were clearly having fun on stage, working in even more covers in between songs. In addition to Pink Floyd, they covered “Dayman” from It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia (which they also did at Terminal 5 last year), Oasis’ “Don’t Look Back In Anger” and a show-closing cover of The Beatles’ “Hey Jude,” which saw Grouplove return the favor and come out to ring in the final song of the tour.

Both Carothers and Gourley had heaps of praise for New York, which they called the greatest city that they get to play. They also noted how the crowds kept on getting bigger and bigger each time they returned to play, thanking everyone for their continued support.

Portugal. The Man have been on the way to the top for many years now. They’ve finally made it, but still got plenty left to prove. I can’t wait to see what comes next.

Portugal The Man Setlist:

1. Another Brick in the Wall Part 2 (Pink Floyd CoveR) / Purple Yellow Red and Blue
2. All Your Light (Times Like These)
3. Waves
4. Hip Hop Kids
5. Evil Friends
6. Day Man (It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia Cover)
7. So American
8. People Say
9. Everything You See (Kids Count Hallelujahs)
10. Don’t Look Back in Anger (Oasis Cover)
11. Atomic Man
12. Modern Jesus
13. Creep in a T-Shirt
14. Someday Believers

Encore:
15. Sleep Forever
16. Hey Jude (The Beatles Cover with Grouplove)

Portugal. The Man:

Grouplove Setlist:

1. I’m With You
2. Itchin’ on a Photograph
3. Lovely Cup
4. Raspberry
5. Shark Attack
6. Hippy Hill
7. Schoolboy
8. Tongue Tied
9. Drunk in Love (Beyoncé Cover)
10. Bitin’ the Bullet
11. Slow
12. Borderlines and Aliens
13. Ways To Go
14. Colours

Encore:
15. Baba O’Riley (The Who Cover with Portugal. The Man)

Grouplove: