cover photo: @emgringo
Empire of the Sun played Forest Hills Stadium on the Ask That God: Afterlife Tour and delivered a tight, high-production synth-pop set that mixed newer material with their biggest tracks.
The historic outdoor venue suited the scale. Luke Steele took the stage in full costume with a live band and dancers. Large screens, sharp lighting changes, and consistent stage movement kept the focus on the performance throughout. Sound was clean across the stadium—synths, bass, and vocals all cut clearly without mud.
They opened with ‘Desire,’ then moved through ‘Changes,’ ‘Half Mast,’ ‘Old Flavours,’ and ‘Cherry Blossom.’ Crowd energy built steadily from the first few songs. People were engaged early, moving and watching the stage closely. The first major response came on ‘We Are the People,’ with the stadium singing the chorus back in full volume. Mid-set held steady with ‘Television,’ ‘High and Low,’ ‘Music on the Radio,’ ‘Revolve,’ and ‘Swordfish Hotkiss Night.’ Newer tracks sat comfortably next to the older ones and avoided turning the night into pure nostalgia. The crowd stayed locked in through these sections, responding on the stronger hooks without dropping off between songs.
The closing run started with ‘Walking on a Dream,’ which brought the biggest sing-along of the night. The full stadium locked in on the chorus and stayed loud through the end of the track. ‘Tiger by My Side’ followed immediately and kept the momentum with a faster pace and sharper edges. They closed on ‘Alive,’ where the production peaked—full lighting and stage visuals running at maximum. Steele and the band pushed the final section hard without extending it past its natural end.
To recap, Empire of the Sun delivered an exceptional performance where there was never a boring moment, and that’s to be expected when they have such an extensive discography of hits. The sold out stadium was in high spirits throughout the night with everyone singing along and vibing to each lyric and drop.
