Hundreds of fans lined the sidewalk of the Renvention Center in downtown Houston on Saturday, Sept. 19 as they anxiously waited for the venue doors to open.

The first fans in line began waiting outside the night before for The Neighbourhood’s concert, sleeping in a tent on the city streets just to ensure they would be front row for the show. The concert was general admission, meaning first come first serve, so it was a free-for-all for the band’s fans.

“I wanted to be as close as possible,” Katherine Lewis, a fan who camped out over night, said. “[The band] puts a lot into their performances and I wanted to experience it up close. The best part of the concert was just them coming out for the first song because I immediately felt like camping out was so worth it.”

The night started with an electric performance from the native SoCal band Hunny. There were a few kinks before the show started—the set equipment stopped working before the first set, making for an awkward few minutes. However, Hunny lead singer Jason Yager made the best of it and filled the silence by giving the audience background information on the group.

With each member dressed in high top Converse and sporting a hipster hairstyle, the band immediately set the perfect mix between an indie and rocker mood for the night. Their songs, which are available for free on SoundCloud, had the crowd smiling from ear to ear. Although they have not even released an official EP yet, their most popular songs, “Natalie” and “Cry for Me,” were sung word for word from the audience.

Before finishing the set, Yager thanked the crowd for coming out and then explained how lucky they were as a band to be able to tour with The Neighbourhood.

“I don’t know how many of you guys get to tour with your best friends,” said Yager. “I’m guessing not many of you. But we get to do this because of you, so thank you.”

The next opener was an American alternative group called BadSuns. The four-piece group began their big break after opening for The 1975 last year. After going on a short headlining tour, BadSuns joined The Neighbourhood on their current “The Flood Tour.” BadSuns are becoming well-known; in fact, a few girls said they were at the concert strictly for the opening band.

Throughout the set, lead singer Christo Bowman instructed for the audience to wave their hands, creating a fun vibe. After performing songs from their album, Language and Perspective, BadSuns closed the opening act segment as the fans waited for The Neighbourhood to come out.

Within minutes, all of the lights went out as strobe lights began flashing from every direction. Smoke filled the atmosphere and each member from The Neighbourhood stormed the stage, the crowd erupting with excitement. The first cords of the opening song, “Ferrari Intro,” blared from the speakers as lead singer Jesse Rutherford strutted across the stage in a cool leather jacket.

The set-list was a mix of old and new songs. Some fans shared their opinion, saying they were a little upset that they didn’t know every song that was being performed. Others loved being the first to hear songs off the unreleased record.

Toward the end of the concert, the band performed their mix-tape which consisted of some of their faster, rap-influenced songs such as “#icanteven” and “When I Get Back.” During this time, the stage equipment began to glitch again, causing Rutherford to obviously become aggravated. He mouthed quick phrases to his crew members who scattered behind the sound board beside the stage. However, the lyrics never stopped being sung from the crowd, quickly replacing Rutherford’s sour expression with a grin.

The concert was closed by the band’s most popular songs, their classic single “Sweater Weather” and newest song “R.I.P 2 My Youth.” Performing “R.I.P” was the best way to end the night. The song has a dark and edgy sound, and when sung on stage with black lights, the room took on a black and white, moody aesthetic, which sums up The Neighbourhood perfectly.

Despite the failures in the stage equipment and constant shoving between the crowd that filled one of Houston’s most popular venues, the night was one to remember. With a new album coming out on Oct. 30 and big plans for the future, this five piece band is one to look for in the near future.