On April 27th, Hippo Campus took the second part of their Bambi tour to Grand Rapids, Michigan after playing in Pontiac, Michigan last October. My friends and I arrived at the venue an hour or so before doors, and there was already quite the line outside. It was a bit chilly as well, so the amount of people outside truly blew my mind. Once we were inside, I could tell that the anticipation was high, and no one could wait for the show to start!
Samia was the opener and all I can say is I’ve never seen such a fierce woman. She was an absolute firecracker, singing one high-energy song after another. She had everyone in the crowd moving in some way as she danced all over the stage. She’s an amazing performer and I would definitely recommend checking her and her band out!
Hippo Campus always has a way of making every show feel like home. Every song they perform sounds so much better than the studio version, making all of their shows an experience. It’s been said on social media before, but Jake Luppen genuinely sounds like he’s singing in cursive when he performs. I remember looking over to my friend the first time I had seen them and covering my mouth in awe of how beautiful his voice sounded in person. Although very similar to their show in Pontiac a few months prior, they decided to change it up by adding fan favorites such as “Warm Glow” and “Vines” to the setlist. Every song that didn’t have you crying had you dancing, jumping, and screaming the words along.
Bambi is one of my favorite albums ever and hearing it live was definitely some sort of out of body experience. Hearing everybody sing back the words to some of my favorite songs almost brought me to tears. Hippo Campus is one of those bands that you can see over and over again without getting tired, and this show was a prime example of that. If you ever get the chance, I would highly recommend seeing Hippo Campus on tour, they’re some of my favorite performers in the world and you definitely won’t regret it!
Cover photo by Brittany O'brein: Instagram
Written by Elizabeth and edited by Maureen!
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