Young the Giant ended their summer Victory Garden tour on a humid Sunday night in Indianapolis. Here’s how it went.
Young the Giant’s Victory Garden Tour kicked off in Las Vegas, Nevada, back in May, following the release of their sixth studio album “Victory Garden” on May 1 and has completed more than 40 shows at outdoor amphitheaters across the U.S. Supported by opening acts little image and Cold War Kids, Young the Giant gave a high-octane and nostalgic final performance on Aug. 9 the Everwise Amphitheater at White River State Park in Indianapolis.
Young the Giant is an indie rock/pop, alternative rock band formed in 2004, comprised of frontman and vocalist Sameer Gadhia, guitarists Jacob Tilley and Eric Cannata, bassist Payam Doostzadeh and drummer Francois Comtois — who unfortunately wasn’t present for this show due to personal reasons. However, the band’s drum tech, Jesse Walsh, filled in for the night (and during the Aug. 8 show) and did a fantastic job.
Despite the nearly unbearable heat and humidity, Hoosiers young and old showed up and showed out to spend a few hours vibing to little image and Cold War Kids leading up to Young the Giant’s 90-minute set after the sun went down at 9 p.m. Personally, I’ve been a fan of this group since I was about 15, so I wasn’t going to miss out on finally getting to see them live at 26.
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The stage was decorated in line with the tour and album’s botanical garden theme, featuring an earthy green backdrop and hanging moss-like foliage and large inflatable flowers that served as the canvas for vibrant lighting design based on each song — such as rich yellows for “Evergreen” and deep blues for “Bitter Fruit.”
The band’s music has always been fairly percussion-heavy, blending melodic guitar riffs with danceable synths and Gadhia’s stunningly smooth vocals in catchy anthems and heartfelt ballads that range from self-reflection and mental health to an exploration of identity, sociopolitical commentary and renewal. While their music has grown and evolved over the last 20 years, the vibes are very much the same — for new and old fans alike.
A welcome surprise for me was that the setlist included songs from each Young the Giant era, dating all the way back to the band’s debut album from 2010, weaving deep cuts and well-loved hits from all six studio albums — including “Superposition” from “Mirror Master” (2018) and “Apartment” from “Young the Giant” (2010).
“Thank you for supporting us for almost 20 years now, it’s insane,” Gadhia said, addressing the crowd after a few songs. “Guys, you have the universe in your pocket, and you could be doing anything with your time, and you’ve chosen to violently be here with a bunch of other people, so thank you so much for supporting our music.”
He continued, candidly stating that 2026 is “the year of celebration” for the band as it’s not only the 10th anniversary of “Home of the Strange” but also just six months since the release of their sixth studio album, “Victory Garden.”
“Putting a setlist together with a 90-minute set with six albums is really difficult. It’s like, you can do it linearly but no, you gotta do it Christopher Nolan-style, you gotta go back and forth and do all sorts of confusing sh*t,” Gadhia said. “But after 43 shows, I think we figured it out. We’re gonna go through all the different eras of Young the Giant and play songs that we haven’t even played in Indianapolis probably ever.”
Then, the band launched into what Gadhia called an “homage” to “Home of the Strange,” including “Repeat,” “Mr. Know-It-All” and “Silvertongue.”
Unfortunately, the late summer heat barely let up after dark, but that didn’t seem to dampen the vibe as the show persisted, concertgoers stayed on their feet throughout most of the show, swaying, dancing and singing along and fanning themselves with those little paper fans Everwise Credit Union was handing out. Although the amphitheater wasn’t completely sold out, Hoosiers certainly packed into the pavilion, spilling out onto the lawn.
Later in the night, and keeping true to their word, the band pulled out “Anagram” and “Firelight” from their sophomore album “Mind over Matter” (2014) — the same album that made me a fan back in middle school. The latter of which, Gadhia told the crowd was dedicated to “the people in our lives who are gone but still carry a lot of weight,” and asked if everyone could hold up their flashlights as the drums and bass came in. It was an incredibly bittersweet, but memorable moment.
After “Ships Passing,” the lights came up, and Gadhia thanked their families and the touring production crew in an awards-show style acceptance speech, including getting played off like it was the Oscars. It was incredibly sweet. I’ve never actually seen a band thank their stage and design crew, let alone all the people behind the scenes that make large-scale tours work.
Instead of a traditional encore, the band immediately launched into “My Body” and “Cough Syrup” back-to-back — which are arguably the band’s most well-known songs, both off of their debut album; then “The Walk Home” from “American Bollywood” (2022) before closing out the show with, in my personal opinion, the best song ever written ever, “Mind Over Matter.”
After which, the band took their bows before inviting crew members on stage to say their final goodbyes of the tour and share a group hug as concertgoers filtered out of the venue for the night.
For more information about Young the Giant or their latest album “Victory Garden,” visit youngthegiant.com.
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.
