An Above & Beyond show is not just a concert, but an experience full of love and passion. From the moment you walk in the doors of the venue, you can feel the bond that you share with every other attendee, even in a crowd ranging from 18 to 58 years old. Above & Beyond’s music is full of positivity, as if the group members truly wish to make every single person in the crowd feel they are part of something bigger than themselves.ab2

Last Thursday, the group played the Boston House of Blues as part of their We Are All We Need tour. From the moment the men came on stage, the crowd cheered and danced. The duo played most of their latest album and the crowd sang along to every song. A variety of visuals on the screen behind them aimed at exciting the crowd, saying things such as “it’s good to be back in my second home” and “summer is just a state of mind.” They also had a camera balanced at the top of their platform and would occasionally show the crowd a moving image of themselves, allowing them to pretend for a moment that they were on stage.

From “Sticky Fingers” to “Excuses,” every song that Tony McGuiness and Paavo Siljamaki played had the audience singing along and cheering. At times, audience members were brought to tears. People have such personal connections to these songs and it was evident by the emotions that emitted through the crowd during every melody.

Suddenly “Blue Sky Action” began to play and everyone with posters held them up as the crowd pushed forward, hoping for a chance to touch one of the group’s members. Tony walked across the stage, pausing to admire the massive crowd there to celebrate the music he has been such a big part of creating. As he got to the far right side of the stage, he spotted a girl in the very front with a sign reading “Snow can’t get us down when ABGT is in town. Let us push the button.” With the help of a security guard, he brought her on stage, making an already-excited crowd roil with anticipation. As the excitement and music rose, this lucky fan jumped up and down on the stage and pressed the storied button. As the beat dropped and the chorus played, the crowd jumped and cheered, celebrating how special this moment was for her. Everyone could feel the strong sense of unity that surged through the crowd.

Near the end of their set, both men jumped off the stage and walked in the space between the barriers and the stage. They stopped to interact with almost everyone in the front row and signed and took selfies for whoever they could reach. They even tried to wave to and made an attempt to touch the people that were in rows farther back.

Above & Beyond opened their performance with the title song from their latest album, We Are All We Need. That song perfectly described how everyone in the building felt after leaving the performance. Watching Paavo and Tony smile when they looked out at the audience and feeling the energy coming from each person in attendance made everyone realize that at that moment in time, we were all we needed. The music and the passion from both Above & Beyond and the crowd made the night very memorable. I look forward to seeing them the next time they come back to Boston, and reliving this incredible experience.

About The Author

Madeline Knutson is an Entertainment Journalist and Pop Culture Expert for Blast Magazine.

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