The Last Goodbye has turned out to be anything but for ODESZA. For one, the dynamic EDM duo of Harrison Mills and Clayton Knight has released an EP (Flaws in Our Design with Yellow House) and a single (“In the Rain”) since dropping their Grammy-nominated album in 2022. What’s more, after an initial 27-date tour in support of The Last Goodbye, ODESZA opted for another round of “Finale” dates that promised to up the ante on production.
To that end, the boys from Bellingham, WA—along with a deep cast and crew that included their beloved drumline, along with guitars, horns, and an orchestral accompaniment—didn’t disappoint during their tour opener at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.
Following a trio of groovy warm-up sets by Golden Features, DRAMA, and Ben Bohmer, ODESZA bounded out with sights and sounds of all stripes and shades. The ensemble opened with an epic performance of strings set to geodesic visuals, as if to put the audience at ease while more than hinting at the sheer spectacle to come.
From there, ODESZA immediately cranked things up. The group welcomed its horn section and drumline onstage for “Behind the Sun”, with plenty of flames and other pyrotechnics in support. The energy kept pumping through the stadium with a trio of tracks that ODESZA reworked for this “Finale” run: “Without You”, “My Friends Never Die”, and “How Did I Get Here”. After dropping in “All We Need”, ODESZA brought the horns back out for “Love Letter” and classic “Say My Name”. The former occasioned a confetti shower, while the latter bled into a mashup with “Late Night”—complete with towers of fire.
The horns blared on through “Locomotion”, setting the stage for a string of vocal guests to come. First was Charlie Houston, who lent her voice to “Wide Awake”. Naomi Wild took over the mic for “Better Now”, shared the spotlight with Jack Froggatt (Mansionair) on “Line of Sight”, and got it back (mostly) to herself during “Higher Ground”, alongside strings and horns. Later on, Jack got a solo feature on “Heavier”, several songs after Izzy Bizu joined ODESZA and its horns (and flames) on “Forgive Me”.
There were no live vocals on “Across the Room” (which features Leon Bridges on the track) or “The Last Goodbye” (which samples Bettye LaVette’s “Let Me Down Easy”), though the abundance of visuals and stage effects did plenty to punch up both songs for the occasion. Singing aside, ODESZA went to great lengths to feature live musicians throughout the show. There were strings to open the main set and the encore, along with several points in between. There was live guitar for the iconic solo during “Kusanagi”, and horns throughout, including on “In the Rain”.
And, of course, there was that drumline, marching along and pounding the stadium with energy during “Bloom”, “Equal”, “Always This Late”, “Loyal”, and “Don’t Stop”. The musical elements alone would’ve made ODESZA’s performance one for the ages, regardless of genre. The group’s use of top-notch stage effects—from digital graphics and laser lights to confetti showers, beams of flame, and even a fireworks finale—helped further punctuate the most dramatic moments with perfection.
Add it all up, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a more captivating production anywhere, save for (maybe) Sphere in Las Vegas.
Fortunately, the L.A. shows were hardly the last ones in this Finale for ODESZA. This same show will make its way to the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, Madison Square Garden in New York City, and Folsom Field in Boulder before wrapping up with three shows at The Gorge in George, WA. Find tickets and a full list of dates here. Check out a gallery of images from ODESZA at BMO Stadium courtesy of photographer Josh Martin along with a collection of videos by Rilian2584.
ODESZA — “Behind The Sun” — 6/7/24
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