5 Seconds of Summer at Bridgestone Arena
Nashville, Tennessee | June 19th, 2026
Written and photographed by Talia Sigurdson
There’s nothing quite as magical as a 5 Seconds of Summer show. Whether you’ve been a fan since the beginning or just discovered them with the release of their newest album, EVERYONE'S A STAR!, you’ll feel their immense gratitude, love, and talent with every moment.
Like much of their fanbase, I discovered them in their early days and was lucky enough to see them open for One Direction in 2013, before they had even released their first album. It was my third concert ever, and even at the age of 11, I knew this was a band I’d love for a long time. Now, nearly 13 years later, the evolution of the band’s stage presence, technique, and artistry is more apparent than ever.
This pop-rock band began as an average high-school friend group in Australia when members Luke Hemmings, Calum Hood, and Michael Clifford started posting covers to YouTube in 2011. Needing to complete their group before their first performance, they invited drummer Ashton Irwin to play with them, and the quartet has been together since. Skyrocketing into fame since their tour with One Direction, they’ve gone on to release six full-length albums, embarked upon multiple international tours, and reached billions of streams across platforms.
Opener: The Band CAMINOOpening for 5 Seconds of Summer on the North American leg of the EVERYONE'S A STAR! World Tour are Nashville natives, The Band CAMINO. They were meant to open for these Australian superstars for their No Shame tour when, unfortunately, COVID-19 ruined these plans. For many fans, we were ecstatic to see The Band CAMINO back on the ticket, finally seeing the lost tour. Their set spanned a wide net across their discography, from hits like “See Through” and “One Last Cigarette”, as well as songs from their new album NeverAlways (Vol. 2). It was a breath of fresh air to see a lot of fans singing and dancing along, perfectly showing the overlap between fanbases.
Nashville showed out for 5 Seconds of Summer, welcoming them back with open arms, and in return, they came out in full swing, donning spikes, glitter, chains, and the occasional cowboy hat. Rising from behind a pink limo, the home for drummer Ashton Irwin for the night, begins Act I: The Peak. They opened with “NOT OKAY”, and the reactions from fans were immediate. Even standing right in front of the speakers, the fans were nearly louder than the band themselves, showing just how passionate and dedicated they are.
The show had an almost movie-like structure, at one point literally recreating the iconic Nicole Kidman AMC ad, and consisted of multiple acts: Act I: The Peak, Act II: The Fall, Act III: The Yearning, Act IV: The Breakup, Act V: The Rise, and concluding with Act VI: The Beginning. At a 5 Seconds of Summer show, not only will you find incredible songs to sing and dance along to, but you’ll see it also doubles as a comedy show, the true friendship and love between the boys palpable. Throughout the set, they show skits on the screens, pay homage to Nashville with a PowerPoint presentation on becoming a local (everyone loved the Skinny Dennis shoutout), and even reclaim the once-hated “boyband” label with proudly winning the Boyband of the Year award, thus launching into the album’s most prevalent song “Boyband”.
Not only do they showcase a variety of songs from their discography during the show, but they also give each of the boys a special moment to perform a song from their solo albums, which occurs during Act IV: The Breakup. It is, I imagine, a very special moment for the band and fans alike. As someone who has been unable to attend any of their solo tours, I truly appreciated these standout moments.
5 Seconds of Summer is what I can only describe as a powerhouse band. Every moment feels special; you can feel fans clinging to every second, trying to give the band back everything they’ve given to us over the years, and perfectly displaying the band’s mantra: Real bands save fans, real fans save bands.
EVERYONE'S A STAR! World Tour is truly a world tour. Before coming to North America, they performed a 24-show run across Europe, and will move on to South America, Australia, New Zealand, and ending the epic tour in Asia. You can find the full list of tour dates and tickets on their official website, here. This is not a tour you’ll want to miss.
