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Say Yes to Life Tour

Tour by Gang of Youths
Tour poster promoting the initial seven shows
Location	Australia
Associated album	Go Farther in Lightness (2017)
Start date	28 October 2018
End date	31 January 2019
No. of shows	21
Supporting acts	Charlie Collins
Attendance	50,000
Gang of Youths concert chronology
National tour (2017) Say Yes to Life Tour (2018) Angel in Realtime Tour (2022)

The Say Yes to Life Tour was the seventh nationwide concert tour by Australian alternative rock band Gang of Youths, and the second supporting their 2017 studio album, Go Farther in Lightness. Spanning 21 sold-out shows across five major capital cities in Australia, with 14 between Sydney and Melbourne alone, the band broke venue records at both the Enmore Theatre and the Forum. The Say Yes to Life Tour received widespread critical acclaim, and was nominated for the ARIA Award for Best Live Act.

Background and sales

In August 2017, Gang of Youths released their second studio album, Go Farther in Lightness. It debuted at number one on the ARIA charts, received widespread critical acclaim from music outlets, and was supported by a national tour with seven shows from August to September 2017. In January the following year, Australian youth radio station Triple J held the Hottest 100 of 2017, which saw Gang of Youths feature a record-equalling three songs in the top 10, with "Let Me Down Easy" placed highest at number two. The album also topped Triple J's annual album poll and received four ARIA Awards, including Album of the Year.

Following a European and North American tour, Gang of Youths announced in May 2018 they would be returning for a second nationwide tour. The Say Yes to Life Tour, named after the closing track on Go Farther in Lightness, originally featured only seven shows. The band were quick to add several additional dates after "selling out their initial run in record time", with five more shows added in Sydney and Melbourne each, and one more in each of the other three cities. Just a week later, they added a seventh night at the Forum Theatre, and a sixth at the Enmore, breaking records for most performances at both venues within a single tour. Days later, they announced a special all-ages show in Melbourne, making for an eighth night in the city. It came after Victorian youth music organisation The Push appealed for the band to perform a show for fans under 18 years old. In total, the band performed 21 shows in the tour.

Reception

Performances on the tour were lauded by critics. Reviewing from Sydney, Kate Hennessy of The Guardian said the band were "note-perfect all night". Giving the show five stars, she wrote of her amusement at the frontman's self-deprecating banter, writing: "Le’aupepe bereaves me of any potential critique as I find myself instead utterly swept up in the concert’s central mantra: saying yes to life". Reviewing a Melbourne show for Savage Thrills, Nate Hill wrote of the crowd's engagement with the band's music: "Gang of Youths has a way of turning a punter into a true believer", he wrote, concluding the audience "left the beautiful Forum Theatre feeling as though they had been part of something special".

Writing for the AU Review, Genevieve Morris compared Le'aupepe's stage presence to that of Bruce Springsteen and Michael Hutchence. She said the band consistently had "the whole crowd in a daze" and during the last song, "the whole room felt connected and was absolutely buzzing, which is true credit to the sensory experience Gang of Youths can manufacture". However, she did feel as though some tracks in the set weren't suitable in a live setting, including "Persevere" and "Vital Signs".

At the ARIA Awards of 2019, the tour was nominated for Best Australian Live Act.

Set list

This set list is from the Sydney show on 29 November 2018, and is not completely representative of the entire tour.

1. "Fear and Trembling"
2. "What Can I Do If the Fire Goes Out?"
3. "Keep Me In the Open"
4. "L'imaginaire"
5. "Do Not Let Your Spirit Wane"
6. "Go Farther in Lightness"
7. "Persevere"
8. "The Heart Is a Muscle"
9. "Let Me Down Easy"
10. "Magnolia"
11. "The Deepest Sighs, the Frankest Shadows"

Encore

12. "Still Unbeaten Life"
13. "Vital Signs"
14. "Say Yes to Life"

Shows

Over 50,000 tickets were sold, and all shows sold out.

References

Notes

1. Originally scheduled to conclude on 30 November 2018, but delayed due to the first Sydney show being postponed until the next year.
2. The only other artists to have had three songs in the top 10 previously were Powderfinger in 2003 and Chet Faker in 2014.
3. Rescheduled date of the first Sydney show on 21 November 2018, which was postponed due to illness.

Citations

1. ^ Williams, Tom (30 May 2018). "Gang Of Youths Announce 2018 'Say Yes To Life' National Tour". Music Feeds. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
2. Scarsbrook, Rachel. "Album Review: Gang Of Youths – Go Farther In Lightness". Renowned for Sound. Retrieved 2022-08-08.
3. Clements, Jaymz (17 August 2017). "Gang of Youths - Go Father in Lightness". Rolling Stone Australia. Archived from the original on 17 August 2017. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
4. Williams, Tom (12 May 2017). "Gang Of Youths Announce 2017 National Tour". Music Feeds. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
5. Bruce, Dave (27 January 2018). "Gang of Youths clean up at this year's Triple J's Hottest 100". Amnplify. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
6. Wahlquist, Calla (28 November 2017). "Aria awards 2017: Gang of Youths win album of the year – as it happened". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
7. Newstead, Al (30 May 2018). "Say Yes To Live! Gang of Youths announce homecoming Australian tour". Triple J. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
8. ^ "Gang of Youths Announce Additional Shows For 'Say Yes To Life' Tour". The Music. 1 June 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
9. "Gang Of Youths Just Added More Shows To Their Record-breaking 'Say Yes To Life' Tour". The Music. 7 June 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
10. Newstead, Al (15 June 2018). "Gang of Youths add Under 18s show to tour in response to Melbourne petition". Triple J. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
11. ^ Dale, Jessica (21 November 2018). "Gang of Youths Break Venue Records With Current Tour: 'It's All About The People'". The Music. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
12. Hennessy, Kate (23 November 2018). "Gang of Youths review – soaring, cyclical and relentlessly rousing epic rock". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
13. Hill, Nate (10 July 2023). "Gang of Youths grace Melbourne with a run of shows for the ages". Savage Thrills. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
14. ^ Morris, Genevieve (3 December 2018). "Live Review: Gang of Youths put on a mesmerising show at Enmore Theatre as their huge tour comes to an end". The AU Review. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
15. "2019 ARIA Award Winners Announced". ARIA. 27 November 2019. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
16. Phillips, Jack (3 June 2019). "Gang of Youths On Fame And Misfortune: 'We're Just A Bunch Of Dudes, Making Music Together'". GQ. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
17. Eliezer, Christie (15 February 2021). "TEG purchases Handsome Tours, Support Act details grants + more: our latest wrap-up of Australian music industry news". Mixdown Magazine. Retrieved 9 July 2023.

• Gang of Youths
• 2018 concert tours