Vacations, soft blue shimmer, Alex Lahey

House of Blues, Dallas, TX

August 11, 2024

Review and Gallery by: Grace Forrester

After bringing their tour across Australia and the UK, indie-rock band Vacations brought the final leg of their No Place Like Home World Tour to Dallas, Texas last week, performing to an almost sold-out crowd at the House of Blues. Initially formed in 2015, the band has come out with many EPs and albums over the years, including the tour namesake “No Place Like Home” earlier this summer. Along with support from Alex Lahey and Soft Blue Shimmer, the tour had a little something for everyone to enjoy.

Alex Lahey was the perfect introduction to the night, perform a solo set beginning with ‘You’ll Never Get Your Money Back’. Between songs she would sprinkle anecdotes about her songs, how the crowd was feeling, what touring was like, and it truly felt like you were getting to know a person without even having a conversation. Watching fans discover her and vibe along to the music in real time was so special to watch, with the crowd giving her one last huge applause by the end of her last song ‘The Answer is Always Yes’.

If you haven’t heard of Soft Blue Shimmer, you are truly doing yourself a disservice. Their energy onstage was immediately infectious when opening up with ‘Cherry-Cola Abyss’. The dynamic between the band members felt so bubbly and fun, matching the vibe of their dream-pop, nostalgic sound. During the last song of their set ‘Love Being’, the band was covered in beautiful rainbow lighting as the crowd was jumping along to the best. As they shouted out their merch and free stickers before leaving the stage, which drew many loud and excited screams and cheers, the mood for the night felt at it’s peak.

As Vacations took the stage with their first song ‘Next Exit’, the shift in the room was almost instant. After going to many indie shows throughout the years, it’s safe to say this crow was not only the most hype, but loud as well. Fans were yelling along to many of their hits such as ‘Home’, ‘Young’, and ‘Moving Out’. Their interactions with the crowd between songs was one of the highlights of the night, claiming that Texas is one of their places to play in when touring, asking about discourse between other cities in Texas, and even briefly breaking out into the viral meme song from Tiktok ‘fortnite battle pass’ as a joke. Vocalist Campbell Burns poured his heart out during the encore of ‘Telephones’ and ‘Relax’, leaving the fans with a bittersweet, but beautiful ending to a great show.

Only a handful of shows on this run remain, along with a one-off festival performance in Australia later this December. You can purchase tickets on their official website and stream their newest album “No Place Like Home” on all major streaming platforms.