Written by Regina Sanders. Media by Joey Clinton.
“It really felt like we were walking on the moon, mainly because the crowd hugged you like a space suit and all the oxygen was sucked out of the air.”
–Sam Barnhart, student and GSGA member
Walk the Moon brought their “Press Restart” tour to St. Louis on February 22. This tour is in support of the band’s third studio album, “What If Nothing.” Released in November 2017, the album was promoted by lead single “One Foot.”
Walk the Moon is a rock band based out of Cincinnati, Ohio. Fronted by lead singer Nicholas Petricca, the band’s current lineup also features Kevin Ray on bass and backing vocals, Sean Waugaman on drums and backing vocals, and Eli Maiman on guitar and backing vocals.
Most may recognize the band for their hit single “Shut Up and Dance.” The single came from their sophomore album, “Talking is Hard.” “Shut Up and Dance” peaked (on May 30, 2015) at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart and held a place on the chart for 53 weeks.
In 2010, the band self-released their debut album “I Want! I Want!” In 2012, Walk the Moon released their self-titled debut studio album. “Walk the Moon” (the album) featured songs from their previous album, as well as new songs. “Anna Sun” served as the lead single for both albums, but it would only make the Billboard Hot 100 Chart in 2012, peaking at 10.
But now, Walk the Moon is back with a new album. The members of the band worked hard to make it this far. The group experienced a degree of difficulty after their success. They canceled their tour due to an illness in Petricca’s family. After that, dark times seemed to cloud the band members. After dealing with other various personal issues, the band reconvened and began again.
Company of Thieves opened the show, taking the stage at 8 o’clock. They played previous songs, like their comeback single “Treasure.” The band then announced their “Better Together” EP and performed “Window.”
Between Company of Thieves and Walk the Moon, a representative from 105.7 The Point (St. Louis’ alternative station) came out and hyped up the crowd.
“This was my very first real concert because I’ve never really had the time or money to go. The experience of Walk The Moon was phenomenal because they not only project their music onto each and every person, they also show their love and passion for their fans and music. I felt as if the crowd was a giant pool of experiences and reactions that washed away the worry and hurt. The unifying factor of the concert revealed to me that, although our experiences vary greatly, we can come and heal together.”
–Johnny Hinton, student, Resident Chaplain, and Vespers staffer
Walk the Moon opened their set with a clip of “Circle of Life” ( from “The Lion King”). Cheers erupted, and the band members emerged to play “Press Restart.” The group played various songs from each of their three albums, from “Tightrope” to “Kamikaze” to hit song “Shut Up and Dance.” The concert was live-streamed on Twitter for audiences at home to view. The concert ended with an encore featuring fan-favorite “Anna Sun.”
To summarize the atmosphere of the concert, employee Rachel Luke stated, “Walk the Moon was fantastic! What I love about their music is that their songs are so fun and energetic but many of them also have depth and meaning. It’s also just incredible to sing along with and dance with a room full of people to ‘Shut Up and Dance’!”
