Young The Giant kicked off the second half of their Victory Garden Tour by headlining 713 Music Hall in Houston.
Playing their first show in nearly nine months, Beach Weather got the night going with a fun 30-minute performance. The band was a late addition to the lineup, only added at the end of June, taking the place of KennyHoopla, who was no longer able to join the tour. “We got a call asking if we wanted to be part of the Young The Giant and Cold War Kids tour. We said ‘f— yeah we do,’” Beach Weather’s lead singer Nick Santino told the Houston crowd.
Beach Weather made the most of their time on stage, helping set the mood with a chill, yet fun performance. It was a great way to start the evening.
Cold War Kids followed with a career-spanning set that featured some newer tracks, big hits, and some older classics. That setlist was intentional, as the band used their stage time to reflect on their career, with this year marking several milestones. According to lead singer Nathan Willette, 2026 marked the 20th anniversary of their debut album, Robbers & Cowards. Additionally, the band plans to release a new studio album later this year, so this tour provided an opportunity to showcase newer tracks and play fan favorites.
One of the more memorable moments of the set came when Cold War Kids played the opening track off their first record. Willette took over on piano as the rest of the group left the stage, as he performed the opening to “We Used To Vacation.” The lyrics, mixed with Willette’s voice, were absolutely captivating. The rest of the band rejoined him mid-song, bringing the sound to life and creating a lasting memory.
Cold War Kids wasn’t the only band that took time to reflect during their performance, as Young The Giant echoed the sentiment. Throughout the set, the band made sure to highlight both their older work and their newer songs from their 2026 album, Victory Garden. Ahead of the record’s release in February, lead singer Sameer Gadhia expressed that the album was an ode to radical empathy. During the Houston show, he clarified that it was a return to the band’s form when they first started as a group. According to Gadhia, he and the rest of Young The Giant got back to their roots and had tremendous fun recording the album. That approach has landed the band success. While receiving critical acclaim, Young The Giant also had their first single reach number one on the Billboard Alternative Charts with “Different Kind of Love.”
While celebrating their new album, 2026 also marked the 10th anniversary of their third studio album, Home of the Strange. With that in mind, the band made sure to highlight some tracks off that record. However, they did make sure to play even more of the earlier work, which fans did appreciate. As the opening notes of “My Body” were taking place, the Houston crowd was eager and so ready to jump and wave their arms with the rest of the band, making for a fun moment.
The final few tracks had the audience’s heart, though, as fans made sure to sing along to “Cough Syrup.” Young The Giant ended the night with the track “Mind Over Matter,” which once again had fans singing and dancing along, making for a beautiful way to close out the evening.
YOUNG THE GIANT
Website Facebook X
COLD WAR KIDS
Website Facebook X
