The stage was hidden behind a red curtain before JUNGLE came on stage. As music started to sound over the speakers, the curtains stayed closed. The screens next to the stage flickered on and showed live images of the band playing just behind the stage. There was an air of anticipation and excitement in the room. One of the many things JUNGLE is known for is the amazing choreography in their music videos. The music is so incredibly danceable, so obviously the whole crowd stood up to dance. Even in the seated areas, everyone got up on their feet as soon as the band came on and the curtain fell.
With their newest album Sunshine out, the visuals of the show were made to feel like sunshine. The lights were colored and shaped like rays of sunshine during golden hour and there were different variations of circles projected on the background. When Josh Lloyd-Watson asked the crowd how they were doing, George Day answered by hitting the snare on the drums. Lloyd-Watson joked that’s just how Day communicates. “He just talks with the drums,” he said. Lloyd-Watson also talked about how he has loved Amsterdam ever since he came to visit the place as a kid. He was about 7 years old and his 15-year-old cousin introduced him to something amazing in Amsterdam. “Great music!” Lloyd-Watson laughed. The way he laughed about it, suggested it might very well be something else his cousin had introduced him to in Amsterdam. Lloyd-Watson said that was the seed which later resulted in forming the band. Later on in the show, the band explained how they more or less started their journey here in Amsterdam, when they got to play London Calling in Paradiso. They reminisced about all the times they’ve played in Amsterdam. They said they played Paradiso Noord, Melkweg, AFAS Live and now, finally, here in the Ziggo Dome.
Besides Amsterdam being the greatest city in the world, it also housed the best dancers in the world Lloyd-Watson was told. So he asked the crowd to prove the statement to be true. He wanted everyone to dance to ‘Move Like You Do’. The extra encouragement was not even necessary, as the audience had been dancing for the entirety of the show already.
Next he asked the crow if they could also sing. He wanted them to sing along with him to ‘Casio’. They happily did so too. The crowd had been loud so far, but when the intro to ‘Back on 74’ started, the crowd got especially loud, excited to hear the hit live. When they played ‘Coming Back’ some enormous transparent beach balls appeared out of nowhere. The crowd made the balls jump around the room by throwing them away at each other.
One of the background vocalists, Kwaye, had an especially captivating stage presence. The band totally let him steal the spotlight from them. He even had a solo dance break during one song. It was so good to see how the different musicians on stage had such a good time and how there was room for everyone to shine, seemingly without others feeling threatened by it. When at 22:34 the band left the stage, there was a lingering tension in the air in anticipation of an encore. The fans got their flashlights out and the whole room lit up with it. When there began to come sound out of the speakers again, it was the sounds of a wild jungle. The sound combined with all of the flashlights made it feel as if we were in an outside Disney scene with fireflies all around. Fortunately, the band did indeed come back on for an encore. They played ‘Keep Moving’ and ‘Busy Earnin’’.
All in all it was a wonderful night out. It was the perfect example showing how music unites, as all different kinds of people had been dancing in the same room all night.
