Beyond Sweater Weather
The show began with Jesse Rutherford descending from the ceiling, dressed entirely in silver. Pink makeup surrounded one eye, blue the other. It was our first introduction to Chip Chrome, the alter ego Rutherford created to represent a different version of himself.
Behind him, the rest of the band appeared dressed in black, representing the Mono-Tones. A silver outfit, a tambourine, a white picket fence, and the band positioned behind it. It was an unusual opening, almost theatrical, and a pretty clear indication that this wasn’t going to be a straightforward concert.
About 25 minutes into the show, the band took a break for a set change, bringing the first act, Chip Chrome & The Mono-Tones, to a close.
The evening was divided into five acts: Chip Chrome & The Mono-Tones, Iris Presents The Neighbourhood, I Have A Feeling About You, Valentines, and Final. Each seemed to have its own visual identity and atmosphere, giving the concert a more theatrical structure than your typical live performance.
After about 25 minutes, the first act came to an end, and the crew began preparing the stage for what was next. I couldn’t help wondering if Chip Chrome & The Mono-Tones were intentionally conceived as an opening act of sorts, almost like a separate performance before The Neighbourhood officially took over the stage. If that was the intention, it was an interesting way to introduce the evening.
After about 15 minutes, the band finally returned.
One of the most unexpected moments of the night came with Afraid. The song has always carried a certain melancholy, but you wouldn’t have guessed that from the crowd. Everyone was singing at the top of their lungs. The arena erupted into something that felt closer to a heavy metal concert than an indie rock show. Even the band seemed to feed off the energy.
It was one of those moments that makes you appreciate a song in an entirely different way.
I also got to experience some of the newer material from (((((ultraSOUND))))), the band’s first studio album in five years, released in November 2025. Tracks like Hula Girl, Lovebomb, Private, and Planet made their way into the set, with Lovebomb and Hula Girl standing out as crowd favorites.
But the band clearly knew where to save some of its biggest moments.
For the final stretch, they brought out some of the songs that have become synonymous with The Neighbourhood. Daddy Issues and, of course, Sweater Weather had the audience singing along. There is something almost funny about how a song can become so deeply embedded in pop culture that an entire arena knows every word, years after its release.
The night ended with an electrifying performance of Softcore. There was plenty of autotune, but by then the arena had practically transformed into a nightclub. It was a completely different energy, and a fitting way to close the musical portion of the show.
The actual goodbye was almost comical. Jesse announced that the show was over, the band came to the front of the stage, and the drummer threw his drumsticks into the crowd. Jesse and the drummer danced for a little while before everyone casually walked offstage.
And that was it.
I walked into the concert knowing The Neighbourhood mostly through the songs that had made their way into my regular rotation. I walked out with a newfound fondness for the band.
Several songs that I had barely paid attention to before are now firmly in my playlist. Others, I discovered, hit completely differently when experienced live.
Sometimes, all it takes is seeing a band perform to hear its music differently. And apparently, all it took for me was one night with The Neighbourhood.
Dani Silverio é comunicadora e profissional de marketing, movida pela paixão por cultura, esporte e lifestyle como ferramentas de conexão. Seu trabalho une curadoria, storytelling e sensibilidade editorial para aproximar a comunidade brasileira da cena vibrante da cidade.
Com passagem por coberturas de arte, design, eventos esportivos e experiências locais, Dani desenvolveu um olhar atento aos detalhes e uma linguagem acessível, capaz de traduzir grandes acontecimentos em narrativas próximas e relevantes. Entre bastidores e tendências, seu foco está em contar histórias que criam pertencimento, ampliam repertório e fortalecem pontes entre Miami e o público brasileiro.