The star played to a sold-out crowd of 20,000 people at London’s O2 arena (Image: Supplied)
“What I have learnt from all the others; Ozzy, Bowie, Tyler, is that it’s all about the fans. And when it’s about them, you can’t go wrong”. On the penultimate night of Yungblud‘s sold-out UK arena tour, this becomes evident. In a testament to the world he’s built, around 20,000 people, spanning all generations, have gathered just for him. Merch is everywhere, and the seats are filled long before he’s scheduled to hit the stage. Now a Grammy-winning artist, as the lights drop and a montage of black and white Idols-era images flick across the screen, the screams from the crowd are a clear indication of how the evening is going to go.
When he steps out on stage, he looks very much the rock star he has set out to become – and over the next two hours, it’s a role he leans into without hesitation. Yungblud is dressed in tight white, crucifix-inlaid trousers, a matching waistcoat that barely survives the opening number and heavy black sunglasses that give the undertone of rock star energy. He emerges beneath a towering arch embellished with the title of his latest number one album, Idols, between two angel wings. The scale of the production alone signals just how far he’s come – particularly in the last year.
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Yungblud is in his career-defying era (Image: Supplied)
The 28-year-old’s Idols era is very much rooted in reviving the rock’n’roll mythology, and tonight he’s revelling in all of it. The references are everywhere; a cover of Aerosmith’s ‘My Only Angel’ and a call and response moment straight out of Freddie Mercury’s playbook. But this is what venues like the O2 are made for. And it felt like, for the first time in a while, someone was using it for what it was truly built for. Yungblud wants to be the next great rock star, and throughout the night, there’s no hiding it. But this isn’t empty posturing.
Only eight years ago, I watched him as the chaotic support for Don Broco at a University student union show. A relatively unknown act at the time for those not in the depths of the emo scene, he was dressed in knee-high socks and clashing pink and black stripes, hurling himself around the stage with enough force to split his lip. Standing on stage now, that intensity hasn’t changed; the stages are now just befitting of the performances Yungblud has always delivered.
The setlist, and its delivery, also reflects that same growth. New tracks, including the 9-minute opener ‘Hello Heaven, Hello’, ‘Idol’s Pt.1’, and Grammy-nominated track ‘Zombie’, all showcase a clear vocal progression. He’s still full of relentless energy, but there’s more control and range in how it’s delivered, giving him a chance to show off what he can really do. And this is especially striking in his tribute to the Black Sabbath legend Ozzy Osbourne.
“A dear friend of mine is in the sky tonight,” he says, as phone lights rise across the arena – flickers of purple cutting through the dark. Chants of “Ozzy” echo across the arena as Yungblud shouts: “We’re gonna scream it so loud he can hear us in heaven.” What follows is one of the night’s strongest performances, and as the camera zooms into the cross around his neck, a gift from Ozzy, there’s no doubt he’s done him proud.
The night was a collection of heavy hits and new favourites (Image: Supplied)
But for all the investment in his image, it’s the connection to the crowd which remains the core of the show. “Are you motherf****ers crazy? I’m Yungblud and I’m f***ing crazy,” he grins into the camera, during the amped up ‘Lovesick Lullaby’. “When the beat drops, I want you to go mental.” There are constant calls to the crowd, and they follow his orders without thinking. They jump, wave and clap their hands in unison.
Throughout the night, the camera capturing his hip swings and exaggerated strutting does well to keep the connection with his fans alive. The looks of sincerity are still very much there and visible. And while in a large venue, it feels unusually intimate. Yungblud might be having his moment, but there’s no doubt he remembers who got him there.
Unsurprisingly then, the 15-track setlist contains all the heavy-hitters; ‘Funeral’, ‘Lowlife’ and ‘Fleabag’, the latter keeping with the tradition of inviting a fan on stage (in this case Mike from Winchester) to play the opening chords on guitar.
Tonight was huge, and Yungblud knows it. Following Ghosts, he tells the crowd: “Thank you from the bottom of my f**king heart for being here tonight. I am so proud of what we’ve created. In a world that is so divided, we stand for love. We stand for unity.” Visibly emotional, he lies on the floor, screaming into the camera above him, proud of what he’s accomplished.
Before he gets up to finish the main set with a string-accompanied version of the ballad ‘Zombie’, there’s a moment where he stops to fix his trousers, a flash of something slightly un-rockstar-like in the middle of all the spectacle. Then, the night is brought to a powerful close with an encore of Suburban Requiem, and the lyrics “Don’t hide / Don’t fight it / You know I’m gonna be right here next to you”, carrying the crowd as they make their way out.