5 Seconds of Summer’s EVERYONE’S A STAR World Tour: Where Nostalgia Meets Reinvention

Co-written by Alisa Fridman

On April 27th, 5 Seconds of Summer (5SOS) arrived at Olympiahalle Munich as architects and writers of a fully realized world. Their highly anticipated fifth world tour, EVERYONE’S A STAR Tour, introduces a unique narrative environment: multiple acts, a fictional mythology of the rise and collapse of the world’s biggest boyband, and a visual identity so committed that it begins long before the first note is played.

On the Olympic Park grounds, the transformation had already begun. Glitter caught the last of the evening light, silver and leopard print fabrics flickered in the setting sun and under street lamps, and star motifs were everywhere: stitched into outfits, drawn across faces, embedded in the collective language of a fanbase committed to participating in the proposed narrative. Inside, that same energy translated into a charged anticipation that rarely let up throughout the night.

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Opening duties went first to Master Peace (Peace Okezie), who wasted no time establishing momentum. Backed by drummer Hattie Steel and guitarist George Oliver Tyreman, his set was volatile, with unreleased material bleeding seamlessly into tracks like ‘My Guitar’ and the explosive ‘LOS NARCOS’ from his debut album. There is a controlled chaos to Okezie’s stage presence: it is sharp, unpredictable, but always anchored in hook-driven songwriting. 

By the time ‘Save Me’ arrived, the arena had softened into a sea of raised phone flashlights, only to snap back into motion moments later. A brief detour for Munich’s special “singalong break” segment came in the form of Chappell Roan’s ‘HOT TO GO’, turning the room into a massive party rather than a standard support slot, before the closing track ‘Home’ escalated into a full call-and-response moment, “Don’t wanna go home/ don’t wanna go home/ ‘less it’s with you/ ‘less it’s with you!”, ending his set with a euphoric and communal sentiment that kept the room on a high the rest of the night. 

That momentum carried cleanly into South Arcade, a Guilford-born quartet whose ascent from garage gigs to arenas feels like witnessing something incredibly special in the making. Opening with ‘FEAR OF HEIGHTS’, they leaned fully into a polished pop-punk revivalism that never tipped into imitation. Harmony Cavelle’s vocals cut through with a kind of studied early-2000s nostalgia, while tracks like ‘Nepo Baby’ and ‘HOW 2 GET AWAY WITH MURDER’ balanced theatricality with tight musicianship. 

There is a refreshing clarity to the live identity: big choruses, precise transitions, and just enough edge to keep things from feeling overly rehearsed. From Harry Winks’ growling guitar riffs in ‘Supermodels’, which had the crowd on its feet from the first notes, to Cody Jones’ thunderous drum fills in '2005', the audience was truly transported through a time portal. Things slowed down with ‘Blood Run Warm’, where phone flashlights lit up the venue in a rare moment of stillness, before picking up again with the explosive ‘stone cold summer’, which closed their set with a final surge of collective energy. 

By the end of their set, South Arcade had fully won the crowd over. It was the kind of opening act that leaves people immediately searching for the band on their journey home. 

Then came a shift.

‘Are You Gonna Be My Girl’ by Jet rang out and a noticeable ripple went through the crowd, triggering a near Pavlovian response and signaling the start of the show. Lights dropped, conversations cut mid-sentence, and within seconds, the carefully constructed illusion began. From the opening moments of ACT I: THE PEAK, 5SOS made their intentions clear. This night was going beyond just a hand-selected setlist; it would be an immersive storyline. A pink limousine, star-shaped confetti and ‘NOT OK’ set the tone: maximalist, theatrical, self-aware, and deliberately excessive. ‘No. 1 Obsession’ sustained that pace, relentless and tightly wound, before ‘Teeth’ grounded the opening act in the band’s darker, more industrial-leaning sound. It felt controlled, almost clinical in its precision, setting up the storyline without sacrificing momentum.

ACT II: THE FALL leaned into satire without losing musical weight. ‘Easier’ carried a sleek tension that translated effortlessly live, its restrained verses giving way to a chorus that felt engineered for arenas. ‘More’ followed with one of the night’s most recognizable - and dearly missed on the previous tour - transitions, the crowd locking into Michael Clifford’s guitar riff before the band even needed to prompt it. ‘istillfeelthesame’ landed as an unexpected surprise on the setlist, looser and more dynamic than its studio counterpart, before ‘No Shame’, bathed in hot pink and leopard print, reframed the set in a sharp, satirical color. With ease, they reclaimed the “boyband” label the band had fought against for so long in their earlier years with a knowing smirk.

The now-infamous “PowerPoint” segment could have easily derailed the flow of the set; rather, it grounded it despite breaking the fourth wall. Framed as an absurdly over-serious guide to winning over an audience, the presentation walked through instructions including “Step 1: Pump up the crowd”, followed by “Step 2: Speak in lore”, which, tonight, meant the return of drummer Ashton Irwin’s mid-2010s signature bandana, sending the crowd into a frenzy as he tied one on almost a decade later.  “Step 3: Know local pop culture” continued with the band dropping hyper-local references of Munich’s beer gardens, the Eisbach surfers, and oversized Brezen, drawing laughter from the local crowd and bridging the gap between band and fan. Finally, “Step 4: Give the people what they want” served as a clever setup for ‘She’s Kinda Hot’, introduced as a direct response to fictional “fan demand” for hearing older material. The payoff was immediate, the crowd erupting following Calum Hood’s infamous bass riff, proving that for all the satire and spectacle, 5SOS knows exactly when to let nostalgia speak for itself.

‘Boyband’ leaned fully into the show’s fictional arc, complete with a fan-presented award for “Boyband of the Year” that the band has now won for the 20th consecutive time, amplifying the self-aware humor that runs throughout the production. ‘Telephone Busy’ then pulled the band onto the center runway, tightening the physical distance between them and the crowd, before ‘Evolve’ closed the act with a kinetic surge that could be felt through the floor itself. Much to the crowd’s delight, Irwin appeared alongside the band at the front.

ACT III: THE YEARNING, marked a tonal pivot. ‘Bad Omens’ arrived earlier than expected in the set, yet carried the emotional weight of a finale, its chorus expanding into something communal and euphoric. The confetti drop during the bridge blurred the line between spectacle and sentiment, the kind of moment that feels almost larger than life and was difficult to process as it happened. ‘Ghost of You’ followed, stripping everything back: phone flashlights rising, voices softening, the arena briefly suspended in stillness. New track ‘I’m Scared I’ll Never Sleep Again’ held its own within that space, already embraced with a familiarity that suggests it will outgrow the confines of the current era. Its sense of longing translated effortlessly, the crowd meeting it with the same intensity reserved for older material.

ACT IV: THE BREAKUP, introduced a different kind of intimacy and maturity. Pre-recorded segments framed the narrative in which outside noise suggested that creating solo music meant the band would break up; in reality, the opposite proved true, as the opportunity for individual expression was framed as extension rather than separation. Luke Hemmings’ ‘Starting Line’ unfolded with a quiet urgency, its themes of time and self-perception landing clearly in a live setting. Irwin’s ‘Have U Found What Ur Looking For?’ carried a similar introspection, elevated by the duality of performing both vocally and rhythmically.

Hood’s ‘Don’t Forget You Love Me’ deepened that mood further, its hazy, post-punk textures translating into something more immediate on stage. ‘enough’ closed the segment with Clifford’s signature rasp and raw, the repeated lyrics “Am I ever gonna be enough?” lingering long after the track ended.

ACT V: THE RISE, rebuilt from that stillness. ‘Amnesia’ turned the area into a sea of lights, familiar in structure but newly resonant in this context. The band’s staging allowed for a closer connection here, particularly as Irwin moved to join them at the end of the runway with an acoustic guitar, trading his usual drum-kit perch for a stripped-down, front-of-stage presence.

The second fan presentation of the night was the fan-voted Surprise Song segment, with ‘Start Over’ winning for the fourth night in a row. The band was met with a reaction that bordered on disbelief before tipping into full-volume recognition. It played like a rediscovered anthem despite only being released with the deluxe version of EVERYONE’S A STAR!, its reception suggesting it may not remain “secret” for long.

ACT VI: THE BEGINNING, functioned as both callback and recontextualization. ‘English Love Affair’ slipped into ‘Voodoo Doll’ with a fluidity that made the transition feel inevitable, the latter carrying a rawness that contrasted sharply with the polish of earlier acts and newer releases. ‘Waste The Night’ reintroduced movement across the entire arena, the crowd’s arms pulsating up and down almost instinctively, as if on muscle memory from previous tours.

‘Jet Black Heart’ followed with a stark tonal shift. Clifford opened alone, his vocal carrying an unfiltered edge before the full band re-entered. The bridge expanded into a collective moment, the crowd’s voices filling the space in a way that felt like a desperate need for release. ‘She Looks So Perfect’ began with its poignant and instantly recognizable guitar chord, sending fans into a frenzy. The act was closed in full color as giant pink spheres bounced across the crowd, matching the song’s enduring 12-year impact not only within the fandom but also across the pop culture of that era. 

ACT V: THE FINALE introduced the encore by bringing the narrative back into focus. The tour and title track ‘EVERYONE’S A STAR!’ unfolded as the band moved through the crowd itself, collapsing the boundary between stage and floor, as well as the seats closest to it. The title was reframed as an immersive and shared experience, rather than simply a concept. ‘Youngblood’ closed the night with a final surge, confetti filling the arena as fans bounced up and down to Hemmings’ “JUMP! JUMP! JUMP!” before the final chorus, ending with undiminished force.

What emerges across these seven acts is not just a well-structured set, but a fully realized identity. The humor lands because it is intentional and rooted in fandom inside jokes, the theatrics hold because they are grounded in precision, and the emotional moments resonate because they are given the space to do so. 5SOS is a band that understands its history, its audience, and its own contradictions, and they have found a way to turn all of it into something cohesive, immersive, and difficult to replicate - and, most importantly, how to present themselves at the current stage of their career without compromise.

There is a visible maturity in how they operate, not just as performers but as collaborators. Each member is afforded room to step forward individually, and when the spotlight shifts, it never does so at the expense of the group. This reinforces a sense of trust and respect that has clearly been built over time, allowing them to move between identities without losing cohesion. This, in turn, translates into a performance that feels polished and confident, yet never distant. 5SOS revisit earlier eras with a sense of awareness rather than detachment, recontextualizing labels like “boyband” on their own terms.

With the tour set to continue across the pond with an expansive 40-show run in North America this summer, followed by the recently announced dates in Oceania with Cub Sport, there are no signs of slowing. If anything, it is exciting to imagine how this tour, and its storylines, will continue to evolve.

And if Munich proved anything, it is that it is not a show that translates fully from the outside. It demands to be experienced in real time. Missing out means missing a moment that feels bigger while you are in it - so make sure you catch 5SOS at the next show near you!

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