Phantogram: House of Blues - Anaheim, CA - 11/16/25
Phantogram is an electronic rock band from Greenwich, New York. In 2024, they released their fifth studio album, Memory of a Day. With the album’s release came the announcement of a tour. The Running Through Colors Tour sees Phantogram traveling all cross the USA hitting some of the biggest cities in the country. No matter where they went, venues were packed or sold out as the band warned ahead of time. The second stop of the tour was at the House of Blues in Anaheim, California. Even before doors opened, there was a huge line of fans eagerly waiting to get inside for a spot up front or to be as close as possible. A Friday night seeing Phantogram is a great way to de-stress from the current horrors in Southern California.
The lights went out and the now tightly packed venue cheered with excitement as the members of Phantogram made their way to the stage. The last two members to go on stage were Josh Carter and Sarah Barthel who are the driving force behind the band. The first song performed was “Jealousy”, the first song from the new album. Barthel not only has a beautiful voice on the albums, but she can equally match how she sounds when singing live. The next song performed was one of their biggest and best songs, “Don’t Move”. With a song like this, it was no surprise to see the crowd singing along to its catchy lyrics. The third song of their set was perhaps their most popular song, “Fall in Love”. Whether Barthel was playing the bass or just singing, she was dancing around and made use of the whole stage with a presence that was felt throughout the venue. Every song played had a different and impressive light show, so no song looked the same. More of their best hits were played including “Mouthful of Diamonds”, “Pedestal”, and “You Are the Ocean”. After a while, Barthel took a quick break to address the audience that this month was the 9th anniversary of the passing of her older sister, Rebecca. She also spoke about suicide awareness and how she still misses her every day. The performance of the song “Answer” was dedicated to her. The first single from the new album “All a Mystery” was next and it proves to be one of the best songs on the new album. After a few more songs, “Black Out Days” was played, and it is another one of their best songs. The last song of the night was “Come Alive” and served as a perfect ending to an unforgettable night. Phantogram left the stage and everything went quiet. The crowd stayed and cheered for the band. After a few minutes, Phantogram came back out to perform a few more songs, much to the crowd’s delight. The first encore song was “Glowing”, and it is a slower song, but beautifully performed. Nearing the end of the show, Phantogram next played “You Don’t Get Me High Anymore” and it had the audience singing along and dancing with its catchy beat. To end the night, Phantogram chose to play their usual ending song “When I’m Small” from their 2009 debut album, Eyelid Movies. Phantogram waved goodbye to the audience once more and left the stage. They always deliver an amazing performance and are not to be missed if they ever come to your area. The tour is just starting, so if you see them coming near you, be sure to go see them.
