By: Emily Brewer
5 Seconds of Summer left Baltimore starstruck after their very first show in the city this Sunday, June 08th, 2026. After attending a 5SOS show in Hershey, PA, the weekend prior, I decided to make it my mission to see the band a second time. 5 Seconds of Summer is an Australian boyband, made up of four members, who rose to fame in early 2012, after an acoustic cover of their song “Gotta Get Out,” was reposted and shouted out by well-known English boyband, One Direction.
In preparation for the concert, I purchased tickets the day before from Ticketmaster for a total of 134.00 dollars. These tickets included two lower concourse seats in section 103, row O. Our view was crystal clear and closer to the stage than I could’ve imagined. Besides our row being full, and a lack of optimal leg space, these seats are perfect for someone who wants to be close to the stage, but doesn’t want to deal with the hassle of General Admission Pit. Upon arrival, security and ushers assisted us in finding our seats just in time for the opener, The Band CAMINO.
At around 8:00 pm, the opener took stage. Andrew Isbell, Jeffery Jordan, Graham Rowell, and Spencer Stewart established the Band CAMINO in 2015 while the four were students at the University of Memphis. They specialize in punk rock music, and have been opening for 5 Seconds of Summer since the start of their tour's North American leg in May of 2026. The band performed an hour long set, including popular titles, “1 Last Cigarette,” and “Stupid Questions,” from their albums, The Band CAMINO and Never Always Vol. 2.
Between sets I snacked on a Dorito’s walking taco (16.00$) and enjoyed a themed alcoholic beverage from the bar, alongside a water bottle (25.00). This put me at a total of 41.00 dollars spent on concessions, not including my partner’s beverage, food, and water bottle. As prepared as I was to spend a good bit of money on this experience, I didn’t realize most of it would be spent on food and drinks, so this is definitely something to consider when choosing this venue. Following a short dance break to “Macarena” by Los Del Rio, 5SOS took center stage… and stage left, and stage right. The band’s set design included a large circle stage with a pit for VIP level attendees in the middle, and a general admission pit rimming the outside. A pink limo center stage held drummer, Ashton Irwin, while singer, Luke Hemmings, Bassist, Calum Hood, and lead guitarist, Michael Clifford danced their way around the stages runway.
The boyband played a 2 hour long set, consisting of songs old and new. Starting with “NOT OK,” off their newest album EVERYONE’S A STAR, and ultimately ending their set with the 2018 classic, “Youngblood,” the set comprised 26 consecutive hits from their seven studio albums. The concert was made up of seven acts; Act I: The Peak, Act II: The Fall, Act III: The Yearning, Act IV: The Breakup ((solo tracks)), Act V: The Rise, Act VI: The Beginning, and Act VII: The Return ((encore)). Each of these acts were broken up by short clips of the band, a powerpoint presentation, “award ceremonies,” and a secret song game. Audience members were given the chance at the start of the show , via QR code, to vote for one secret song out of four to be performed. Each show features a powerpoint presentation that is specialized to the city they’re performing in, featuring silly lore drop and banter with the audience.
A few fan favorite songs included, “NOT OKAY,” from their newest album EVERYONE’S A STAR, “Voodoo Doll,” and “She Looks So Perfect,” from their hit album Sounds Good Feels Good, and “Easier” from the album Calm, released in 2020. I also held a deep appreciation for their performance of “Jet Black Heart,” from their album Sounds Good Feels Good.
Following the concert, my partner and I made one last stop by the band’s merch stand. The stand offered 5 Seconds of Summer t-shirts, crewnecks, zip-ups, hats, and even tote bags and themed sticker packs. Although a good amount of the merchandise was out of stock due to it being the end of the concert, there was still a significant amount left over to choose from. I decided to purchase a 5 Seconds of Summer t-shirt for 55$ as a memory of this amazing night. I am only a more recent fan of 5SOS, but this experience was simply life-changing, and I can’t wait to see them go up from here.
