By: Carissa Aguirre
ACL season in Texas always brings a wave of artists stopping through Houston before or after their festival sets, and this year was no different. Phantogram and Passion Pit both made their way to White Oak Music Hall as a part of their double headliner tour that had indie kids (like me) losing their minds.
By the time the sun went down, the lawn at White Oak was completely packed. As soon as Sarah Barthel walked out with her zebra-print boots and guitar in hand, the energy shifted. They opened with “Funeral Pyre,” and the crowd was all in from the first note. The light setup was minimal but super effective. The fog, lasers, and rotating colors throughout the show made every song feel like a mood shift.
One of my favorite moments was when they played “You’re Mine” from their 2016 album, Three. I’ve always loved how Barthel and Josh Carter trade off vocals in that song. It’s this eerie push and pull that they recreate perfectly live. And when they played “Black Out Days,” I was especially excited. Not just because I love the song, but because it’s become a staple in the EDM scene over the years. It’s been remixed by several artists, most notably dubstep artist Subtronics, and hearing the original live was thrilling.
Phantogram closed with “When I’m Small,” with Barthel on keys and Carter joining in on vocals. It’s one of their older songs, but it’s the kind of track that gets everyone moving no matter how many times you’ve heard it. It was the perfect way to wrap up the set.
Then came Passion Pit, and if you were there, you know it was kind of a wild ride. About four hours before the show, they posted on Instagram asking if anyone in Houston had instruments they could borrow. Their truck carrying all their gear never made it to the venue, which had to have been a total nightmare to deal with.
Despite that, they still went on using borrowed equipment (some of it from Phantogram) and just tried to make it work. You could tell things were a little off from the start. The sound wasn’t great, and it looked like Michael Angelakos and the rest of the band were trying to figure it out in real time. A few people left after the first song, but I’m glad I stayed. Once they found a rhythm, the show turned into something raw and surprisingly emotional. It reminded me of watching old YouTube videos of early Passion Pit performances—rough around the edges, but full of heart.
Angelakos was open about the situation, apologizing to the crowd several times and promising they’d be back with their full setup. He also said, “I don’t cancel shows,” which made you feel even more for them given Passion Pit’s history, Angelakos’ struggles with mental health, and tour cancellations in the past. So, hearing him say that and watching him push through the set made it feel personal. Even with the gear issues, they still played hits like “Take a Walk,” “The Reeling,” and “Carried Away,” and while the sound wasn’t exactly like the recordings, the songs still felt true to the originals.
By the end of the night, only a few hundred people were still on the lawn, but everyone who stayed was locked in. Passion Pit closed just as they opened with a reworked version of “Sleepyhead.” The whole crowd shouted the chorus louder than Angelakos himself, and for the first time all night, the chatter that had filled the set disappeared. Everyone was singing together, and it finally felt like the show had come full circle.
After the show, someone commented on Instagram: “No gear no problem. Amazing show. So glad I got to see y’all play, hopefully won’t be the last time!”
Houston’s show was definitely one to remember, and I hope they’ve sorted out the equipment issues since then. At the time I’m writing this, Passion Pit has already played ACL Weekend One, and judging by the videos, they had all their gear back. So if you get the chance to see them, don’t let what happened in Houston discourage you. And if you’ve heard complaints from people who left early, take it from someone who stayed until the very end—it was worth it. It wasn’t perfect, but it was honest, and I’ll take that any day.
⎯
