Having been to many, many shows in the last few years, it’s always an interesting experience to come away with a different opinion of the band due to their live show. Sometimes it’s disappointing and the band doesn’t live up to the music on their records. Neon Trees, however, was thankfully the opposite. I came away from the show with a much more positive opinion of the band and their music, which is always a most welcome feeling.

I caught Neon Trees’ sold out show at Irving Plaza on July 22nd and I’ve got to say I was really impressed with what I saw. I saw Coin, the second of the two openers for the show, and they were a fun way to warm up the crowd. I had never listened to them prior to the show and enjoyed what I heard there, but not enough to seek out the music after the show.

On the other hand, I had listened to all of Neon Trees’ albums several times and while I thought it was fun pop-rock, it wasn’t quite something that I thought was going to be mind blowing live. I’m glad to say that I was proven wrong at the show. Neon Trees had a wonderful energy thorough out the show and the lead singer, Tyler Glenn, had great stage presence. He told stories to the crowd, interacted with them, and covered the stage really well. At one point he even reached out and touched the hands of a few lucky fans in the front row.

My personal favorite highlight from the show was their cover of Amy Winehouse’s “Love is a Losing Game” which was then followed by an absolutely rockin’ version of “First Things First.” You could just feel the energy and the way the crowd danced to the beats was enough to get anyone at the show moving their feet. I was really impressed with how they translated their studio material to the stage and the covers that they did. Contrary to what most bands do, they did not play an encore and just played a straight set, ending with a cover of Dexys Midnight Runners’ “Come On Eileen.”

I left the show energized and extremely pleased. Since then, I’ve been listening to Neon Trees with a new perspective and actually really enjoying their studio albums. They’ve definitely made a fan out of me and I’ll be sure to catch them again the next time they’re in New York!