Passion Pit outshined by fireworks

Despite the harsh weather on Saturday night, Passion Pit took the stage at Carnegie Mellon’s… Despite the harsh weather on Saturday night, Passion Pit took the stage at Carnegie Mellon’s CFA Lawn, performing for a large group of students.

Both CMU and Pitt students speculated about whether or not the performance would happen, but the crowd eventually formed, and the band appeared around 9:30 p.m.

Passion Pit walked modestly across the stage and took its place to the sound of a synthesizer note. Playing off the dramatic sound for as long as they could, the concert began with a light show that seemed to propel the group forward, eliciting a roar from the crowd.

The band first performed its popular track “Moth’s Wings,” a mellow song that left the crowd standing still. Keeping the crowd on its feet, Passion Pit capitalized on the driving beats of its sound while lead singer Michael Angelakos led the song.

While many in the audience appeared to be having a good time — swaying back and forth to the music, crowd surfing and dancing — Passion Pit, like so many other bands, failed to make the transition from the studio to the stage. This was most apparent in its lyrics, which were inaudible because of the microphones’ inability to pick up the band’s high-pitched sound — an issue worsened by the weather conditions.

The band’s energy also seemed to be missing, as the members gradually fell into the background. They left Angelakos to do most of the work, and it was clear he struggled with his personal energy.

In an attempt to win over a crowd who seemed to have little knowledge of the band’s music, Angelakos did his best to rally the willing audience members who braved the elements. He asked the audience questions, prompting cheers and sending the crowd into a frenzy.

The show granted the Passion Pit faithful a treat. In between its well-known classics from the 2009 hit record Manners, the group took the opportunity to play songs from its upcoming album, which will be released in June of this year.

Although the problems with studio-to-stage transition lingered, the crowd enjoyed the band’s commitment to the show, cheering at the end of tracks like “Sleepyhead” and “The Reeling.”

As the sounds of synthesizers, drums, guitar and whiny vocals stopped reverberating through the CFA Lawn, a new show took place as fireworks exploded across the sky, brightening an otherwise dreary evening.

Passion Pit’s trip to Pittsburgh might not have exceeded expectations, but it still proved worthwhile — especially because the concert was free.