5 Seconds of Summer Become Fully Evolved at The Forum in Los Angeles: Live Review

Fifteen years into their career, 5 Seconds of Summer (Luke Hemmings, Ashton Irwin, Calum Hood, and Michael Clifford) have decided that if the internet is going to call them a boy band forever, they might as well become the most over-the-top boy band on the planet. The Everyone's A Star! era is equal parts satire, chaos, and brilliance, making for the band's biggest and most ambitious tour yet. And judging by the sold-out crowd at The Forum in Los Angeles, everyone was more than happy to buy into the bit.

The show opened with a tongue-in-cheek mockumentary that framed 5 Seconds of Summer as a band of the past. "On July 11, 2026, 5 Seconds of Summer performed to a massive crowd on their Everyone's A Star! Tour at The Forum in Los Angeles... It would be their final performance," the screen dramatically declared, immediately setting the tone for the night. The skit launched the fictional storyline that unfolded throughout the show, with each act divided into chapters like "The Peak," "The Fall," "The Breakup," and more, turning the concert into a hilariously self-aware documentary about the band's own rise, fall, and inevitable comeback.

There was no easing into Everyone's A Star!. The show exploded to life inside the now-iconic pink limousine as Act One, "The Peak," kicked off with "NOT OK." Within seconds, the Forum was on its feet, screaming every lyric as the band fully embraced the larger-than-life world they'd created. The momentum carried straight into "No. 1 Obsession," where flashing lights and giant screens repeatedly displayed the words No. 1 Obsession, inviting fans to fully lean into the band's over-the-top pop star persona. Without a moment to catch their breath, the set barreled into fan favorite "Teeth," as the stage was drenched in red lights and the crowd roared every word back at the band.

"The Fall" was packed with unforgettable moments, including Michael's standout verse in "istillfeelthesame," where the entire Forum erupted, screaming every lyric back to him. The band continued to play into the ongoing joke surrounding their boyband reputation when a fan from the VIP section presented them with the Boyband of the Year award, bringing their fictional total to 48 wins, before launching into "Boyband," the perfect celebration of the title they spent years trying to escape.

The chaos reached another level when Ashton Irwin rose from the front of the stage on a second drum kit like a true rock god, leading the band into "Telephone Busy" and "Evolve." As the rest of the band joined him, the performance became everything Everyone's A Star! promises: completely larger-than-life, wildly entertaining, a little ridiculous, and just the right amount of flirtatious as the boys fully embraced the absurdity of their own pop star fantasy.

The show then shifted into a section dedicated to the shared history between the band and their fans, revisiting the hilarious moments, memes, and pieces of 5SOS lore that have become beloved inside jokes over the years. For the Los Angeles crowd, that meant the return of the iconic "ALRIGHT LOS ANGELES!" clip from 2015, a moment so legendary that the band had to replay it multiple times for maximum comedic effect.

One thing 5 Seconds of Summer fans have always loved about the band is their unmatched ability to yearn, and Act Three: "The Yearning" delivered exactly that. The emotional section of the show was packed with fan favorites, including "Bad Omens," the only song from 5SOS5 featured on the setlist, followed by "Ghost of You," which transformed The Forum into a sea of phone flashlights and tear-filled singalongs. The mood shifted seamlessly into "I'm Scared I'll Never Sleep Again," where Luke Hemmings continued one of the tour's fan-favorite moments by changing the iconic lyric to, "I know that LA makes you sick, too many people in this sh*t," giving the Los Angeles crowd their own version of the now-anticipated lyric change.

The story continued into "The Breakup," where the band hilariously "discovered" through a news broadcast that they had broken up after pursuing their own solo projects. Instead of the dramatic split fans have jokingly predicted for years, the moment became a celebration of each member's individuality as the boys came together on stage to perform songs from their solo careers. Luke delivered "Starting Line," Ashton performed "Have U Found What Ur Looking For?", Calum brought "Don't Forget You Love Me," and Michael performed "enough." For fans who have followed each member's solo journey, this section was one of the most emotional moments of the night. Seeing the four of them not only support each other's music but sing along together to songs they likely never imagined performing in an arena.

After "The Breakup," the band returned to where it all began with "The Rise" and "The Beginning," bringing the story full circle. The four members stripped everything back for an intimate acoustic performance of "Amnesia" at the front of the stage, creating one of the night's most heartfelt moments.

The emotional nostalgia continued into the surprise song section, which is typically chosen by fan vote. However, for Los Angeles, the band had something special planned: their cover of "What I Like About You." The performance served as the perfect tribute to their history with the venue, as the original music video for the cover was filmed during their very first show at The Forum, a full-circle moment for the fans who have been there since the beginning.

The energy quickly shifted as the band launched into fan favorites like "English Love Affair," "Voodoo Doll," "Waste the Night," and "Jet Black Heart," before bringing back the iconic punk-rock chaos of "She Looks So Perfect" and its legendary punk jump. Just when it seemed like the night was coming to an end, 5 Seconds of Summer pulled one final trick, proving that neither the show nor the band was anywhere near finished. Led through a sea of fans during a heavier, explosive performance of "Everyone's a Star!", the band made their way back to the stage before closing the night with "Youngblood."

The Everyone's A Star! Tour brought the band's wildest concepts and most theatrical production to life, and a sold-out crowd at the Forum in Los Angeles embraced every second of it. From the elaborate visuals and carefully crafted storytelling to the genuine moments of connection between the band and their fans, the show proved that 15 years into their career, 5 Seconds of Summer continue to evolve, take creative risks, and stay true to the qualities that made fans fall in love with them from the very beginning.

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