5 Seconds of Summer returned to Noblesville on July 25, playing to a nearly sold-out crowd at Ruoff Music Center. I went; it was a blast. Let’s talk about it.
I’ve been wanting to review this show for a while since I saw 5 Seconds of Summer (5SOS) would be returning to Indiana during their Everyone’s A Star tour. Videos I’ve seen online present it as an unserious, interpersonal journey through the band’s discography, complete with throwbacks, skits, secret songs, fourth wall breaks, and direct fan engagement. There’s something to be said about the evolution of live entertainment shifting toward more curated and hyper-personalized in a time where so many celebrities simply take themselves too seriously. (But that’s a different editorial).
5SOS, made up of Luke Hemmings, Michael Clifford, Calum Hood and Ashton Irwin, set out on the North American leg of the Everyone’s A Star tour alongside opening acts Haiden Henderson and The Band CAMINO in May. The tour is named after the band’s sixth studio album, “Everyone’s A Star!”, which came out on Nov. 14, 2025.
Would you believe the first ever review I wrote as an arts and culture reporter here in Indy was for 5SOS? Technically, I was an intern at the Indy Star, but that experience was the catalyst for the arts, culture and entertainment coverage I wanted to do here. Four years later, here I am. Have I come full circle yet?
READ MORE: REVIEW: Beef and Boards’ ‘The Play That Goes Wrong’ goes oh so right
I’ve been going to 5SOS concerts since I was in middle school, they are definitely the kind of band that attracts fans of all ages, genders and backgrounds — in short, the vibes are always good. The Everyone’s A Star Tour doesn’t necessarily have a dress code, but one look around the venue and it was clear there was a general consensus in the glittery outfits with splashes of pink, black and red, with star-themed jewelry, hair clips, and nails mixed in with the classic ripped skinny jeans, flannels and combat boots.
The show itself is theatrical; the band is doing a bit. It’s “over the top,” and they are performing and also performing “a character,” as frontman Hemmings told the crowd that night. Honestly, I’ve seen the arts, specifically theater and visual storytelling, bleed into other forms of entertainment more and more these days.
The two-hour set was presented in seven acts, dividing more than a decade’s worth of the band’s music into different eras, each associated with aspects of the hero’s journey.
The show opens with a series of slides and dialogue that present it to audiences as if it will be the band’s last. 5SOS open the show with “NOT OK,” “No. 1 Obsession” and “Teeth,” introducing their first act as the height of their career or “The Peak.” Between each act is a video message, filmed in an almost mockumentary style, explaining the bands’ rise to fame and subsequent fall from grace, with plenty of drama, angst and humor.
After performing “No Shame” during Act II, the band took a break from playing music to introduce themselves, check in with the crowd and deliver a PowerPoint presentation on how to have a successful tour, which is personalized to each city along the tour (i.e., “Becoming a Star in Noblesville”).
“You know we’ve been a band for a while, it’s our sixth album, and we thought this time we’re going to get things right,” Hemmings joked with the crowd. “This time we’re professionals.”
The PowerPoint featured steps like “become one with the crowd” and activities the band allegedly did to “become a local,” including “explore all of the nearby cornfields.”The last slide featured Step 4: Give the People What They Want, to which Irwin claimed was to play old music — which was kind of an iconic lead into “She’s Kinda Hot.”
The band then left the stage as a fan came on to present them with “The Greatest Boyband in the World” award, followed by short, comical speeches, and the song “Boyband.”
Act IV, titled “The Breakup,” fed into the numerous rumors that have circulated about the band over the years, threatening a breakup. It was during this time that each of the members got to perform some of their solo music, including “Starting Line” off of Hemmings’ “When Facing the Things We Turn Away From” (2021): “Have U Found what Ur Looking for?” from Irwin’s “Superbloom “(2020); “Don’t Forget You Love Me” from Hood’s “ORDER chaos ORDER” (2025) and “Enough” from Clifford’s “Sidequest” (2025).
I wish I was surprised at how many people I knew personally ended up being at the show, but as I said, this is the kind of band that brings all different kinds of people together — including my high school best friend Mikayla, who drove three hours from Ohio and somehow ended up two rows behind me. Irwin introduced the next song by saying, “Let’s go back to 2014,” and we really did, because the next thing I knew, my childhood friend was hugging me during “Amnesia” of all songs, completely unplanned.
Then it was time for the secret song, which fans got to vote on before the show, and then one lucky fan got to reveal in a briefcase “Deal or No Deal” style. I voted for “Heartbreak Girl” (which the band notoriously hates for some reason), but the song ended up being “Why Won’t You Love Me.”
Act VI was entitled “The Beginning,” which was fitting as 5SOS played some of my personal favorite songs from their earliest albums, including “English Love Affair,” “Voodoo Doll,” “Don’t Stop,” “Jet Black Heart” and their first hit single “She Looks So Perfect.”
“We started this nearly 15 years ago in a garage in Sydney, Australia,” Hemmings said before introducing the last song of the night, “Youngblood.” “We literally would not be playing here without you. We love you, we appreciate you, thank you so much for letting us be a part of your night.”
For more information or to view future tour dates, visit 5sos.com/pages/tour. To follow along with the rest of my arts and culture coverage in Indianapolis, visit indianapolisrecorder.com/catagory/local-news/arts-culture.
Contact Arts & Culture Reporter Chloe McGowan at 317-762-7848. Follow her on X @chloe_mcgowanxx.
Chloe McGowan is the Arts & Culture Reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper. Originally from Columbus, OH, Chloe has a bachelor's in journalism from The Ohio State University. She is a former IndyStar Pulliam Fellow, and has previously worked for Indy Maven, The Lantern, and CityScene Media Group. In her free time, Chloe enjoys live theatre, reading, baking and keeping her plants alive.
