Concert Review: Phantogram Oozes Passion at Austin’s ACL Live
With a mix of newer tracks and big hits, genre-bending duo Phantogram exuded high musical energy with a dynamic and colorful 90-minute set at ACL Live on Jan. 24.
Written by Valeria Mota
Photos by Elina Carrasco
Knowing each other since preschool, multi-instrumentalists Sarah Barthel and Josh Carter formed their genre-bending musical duo in 2007, drawing inspiration from electronic rock, trip hop, dream pop, and electronica. Now, almost 18 years later, the band kicked off its ‘Running Through Colors’ tour and embraced the ACL Live stage with ease, performing tracks from its 2024 album Memory of a Day and fan favorites from previous projects.
The show began at 8:05 p.m. with a set from GLU, the solo project moniker of Michael Shuman of Queens of the Stone Age fame. GLU’s obscure beats and dynamic melodies made for a straightforward yet vulnerable performance. Accompanied by a simple and colorful light show, the artist bared his soul onstage with tracks from his 2023 EP MY DEMONS, showcasing his steely vocals and invigorating production. About halfway through his performance, the Los Angeles native dedicated an unreleased track to his hometown, joyfully recapturing California’s essence with a peppy pop beat and theatrical guitar riffs. GLU ended his set with the titular track from his EP, with Sarah Barthel’s featured vocals booming from the speakers. By setting down his guitar and focusing solely on the lyrics from “MY DEMONS,” GLU passionately closed out his ten-song performance and left the audience sonically satisfied.
At 9:18 p.m., flickering green lights surrounded the New York duo and its accompanying band as it took to the stage, with the thundering beat of “Jealousy,” the opening track of Memory of Day, pounding through the venue. While guitarist Josh Carter held a laser-like focus on his playing, vocalist Sarah Barthel immediately engaged the crowd with confident hair flips and live vocals that proved nearly identical to the studio version. As the duo danced along to the tune, Phantogram’s first song of the night confirmed to the audience that energy would only continue to rise throughout the show.
The collective continued the show with two older tracks, Nightlife’s “Don’t Move” and Voices’ “I Fall in Love,” which were met with delighted cheers from the crowd. The warm orange lights that swarmed during “Don’t Move” emphasized the band’s all-black outfits and complemented the richness of Barthel’s passionate vocals. While the backing synths and drums maintained a cool attitude, Barthel and Carter’s presence on stage powered through as they harmonized and danced together. As Barthel clapped her hands together at the end of “I Fall in Love,” the audience joyfully followed her lead, singing along with her throughout the song’s conclusion.
The duo quickly dove back into the world of Memory of a Day with the edgy “Feedback Invisible,” paired with panicked red lights that mimicked ambulance sirens. This track marked Carter’s first vocal performance of the night, and he did not let Barthel’s animated performance style outshine him.The two bounced off each other’s energy seamlessly, with Barthel joining Carter on guitar, a dynamic combination that would continue for the rest of the night.
The engrossing performance of “Feedback Invisible” juxtaposed the following song, the sincere “Pedestal,” which was met with light cheers from the crowd at the start, but rose to a thunderous crescendo as Barthel jumped on the keys for the song’s powerful bridge. Her heartfelt performance ended the song with a harrowing bang. The crowd recognized Barthel’s emotional vocals with big whoops and energetic cheers, a louder offering of approval of the song compared to its start.
After the poignant “Pedestal,” Barthel approached her mic and greeted the crowd with a joyful, “What the fuck is up, Austin?!”, to which the pit responded with gleeful shouts. Barthel thanked the audience for selling out the show, and audibly reminded herself to focus as the band had “so many new songs, [and] so many old songs” to play. The singer then introduced “her favorite song” from Memory of a Day, “It Wasn’t Meant to Be,” kicking off the track with fun blue and red lights that mirrored the album’s colorful cover. Even though the supporting drums and synths did not seem too spirited, Barthel’s enthusiasm during her live rendition was palpable as she danced with abandon, while Carter rounded out the song with killer guitar riffs.
As Barthel promised, the rest of the show alternated between new and old tunes. Phantogram took its fans down memory lane with the reserved “Mouthful of Diamonds,” accompanied by flashing white lights, and the frenetic “Run Run Blood,” whose bass rattled the venue so intensely that even security guards around the stage protected their ears. Both songs were met with fans intently nodding and swaying, but the energy dramatically raised for the band’s performance of “Attaway.” The duo’s artistic and unmatched chemistry only made the live rendition of this new cut even more memorable for the roaring audience.
Phantogram maintained the momentum with an intimate performance of “You Are the Ocean,” led completely by Carter’s soft vocals and the duo’s powerful riffs on the song’s bridge. Afterward, Barthel commented how the band is often requested to sing this particular track, and how she “always [loves] hearing Josh sing.” As the crowd cheered in anticipation, Carter maintained a serious demeanor. When Barthel asked if he had anything to say to the audience, he promptly introduced the collective’s next song, “Answer,” generating ecstatic hollers from the front row. The mellow yet driving track featured raw vocals from both musicians, with dedicated fans screaming and crying at the barricade.
Phantogram balanced the performance of older tunes with new releases, playing three tracks from its latest album back to back. While the existential “All A Mystery” had Carter gently swaying and playing his guitar, Barthel stole the show by showing off her keyboard skills and inspired vocals that proved more passionate than the studio version. Next, the sultry vocals and deep bass line of “I Wanna Know” transported Phantogram to another dimension — the band appeared to be living so intensely in the moment that they forgot there was an audience in front of them. As green lights flashed over the stage and the audience danced along softly, the collective’s musical connection transcended the venue, with the supporting band’s strong drum and synth performance matching the duo’s energy. After a quick “Thank you” from Barthel, Phantogram rounded out its Memory of a Day spree with “Happy Again,” an upbeat turn after the moody strength of “I Wanna Know.” The vibrant lights matched the song’s energy, while the audience lightly nodded along.
However, the collective knew what its fans in Austin truly wanted to hear. The mechanic intro of its biggest hit “Black Out Days” was met with loud gasps and cheers of recognition. Instantly, everyone in the venue seemed to be standing up and waving their hands left and right, screaming along to the song’s iconic chorus: “Tell me all the ways to stay away / Away-ay-ya.” While some bands tend to resent their commercial successes, Phantogram performed “Black Out Days” with the same infectious zeal that they had for the previous 14 songs. After the hit ended with loud and approving hollers, Barthel strutted the stage as Carter took over the keyboard for “Come Alive,” the last song from the band’s latest project. Even though the song was not met with the same fervor as the previous one, the audience still ended up belting the last chorus at the top of their lungs.
The stunning light production suddenly halted as the band quietly exited the stage. As the audience kept on cheering, the collective smoothly came back for an encore, its supporting synth player armed with a small violin. Barthel took over the keyboard once again to perform the harrowing “Glowing,” accompanied by subtle strings and interjections of complimentary whoops from the crowd. The melancholy of “Glowing” quickly faded with the second to last song of the evening, “You Don’t Get Me High Anymore.” Once again, as Barthel rhythmically danced with her mic stand and Carter improvised unexpected riffs, the duo seemed to be performing more for themselves instead of a crowd, which only resulted in a captivating authentic performance. While the supporting drummer and synth player maintained a cool composure throughout the majority of the show, they both seemed to come alive in this particular song, visibly influenced by the collective’s energy.
After the roar of applause following “You Don’t Get Me High Anymore,” Barthel coyly asked, “Can I see the audience?” As the lights turned on over the venue, the crowd’s cheer only grew in volume. After thanking their supporting band, Barthel introduced their last song of the night as “the most important song they’ve ever written,” and proceeded to close out their night at ACL Live with the emotional “When I’m Small.” The song’s chords were followed by roaring applause and cheers. As Barthel thanked the audience, Jay Rock’s 2018 cut “WIN” boomed through the speakers. Carter and the rest of the band exited the stage, but Barthel stayed behind to sing and dance along to Rock’s victorious lyrics as the audience followed suit. The Phantogram frontwoman connected with the crowd once last time before eventually leaving the stage.
In exactly 90 minutes, Phantogram left a powerful mark on the ACL Live stage. Barthel’s vocals paired with Carter’s expert guitar abilities made for an engaging set of new and old songs from the duo’s catalog. Even when the audience or its supporting band seemed hesitant to match its energy at times, the collective became more motivated to perform with stronger ambition, authenticity, and passion.