The Renegades of Milano

A person rarely goes for a night out expecting to end up in a situation straight out of a coming-of-age film, though that is exactly the scene I found myself in the other day after heading out in the rain to Magazzini Generali. X Ambassadors blew the roof off during their Milan show this Tuesday, with the help of Morgan St. Jean as the opening act. A combination of true showmanship, amazing music, and already excited fans helped the band turn up the energy in the club so high you could practically feel it in the air.

We gotta give credit to Morgan St. Jean for warming up the crowd with her blend of original songs and covers of popular bangers. The pop singer gave an emotion-filled performance of some of her songs, such as the highly popular “Not all men” and “Do it like a girl,” while a cover of an all-time favorite, “Toxic,” wiggled its way in towards the end of her set. Afterward, she spent the rest of the night by the bar, enjoying the show and greeting her fans with a smile, ready for a picture.

The wild force of X Ambassadors took over the stage with their hit song “Renegades” and quickly had the whole club singing in unison. After quickly following up with “BOOM,” throwing in some impressive dance moves along the way, vocalist Sam Harris gave an energetic “Grazie Mille” (nearly landing the accent) before he took us all the way back to 2013 with “Love Songs Drug Songs,” featuring a saxophone solo by Harris himself. As the pop-rock band made its way through the set, they announced a new album dropping on April 5th and even played one of the first featured songs, “No Strings.”

With the mood as high as it could get, Sam gave the fans a proper show of the band, as drummer Adam Levin and guitarist Russ Flynn showed off their skills with some solos. Diving into a heartbreaking and heartwarming performance of “Unsteady,” the audience was singing with emotion-filled voices and flashlights in the air. After taking a few seconds to soak in the energy of the audience, they took a bow and left the stage, putting the concert to an end.

Or so we thought. After a few minutes of the crowd collectively chanting for more, the band made their way back to the stage for two last songs, turning up the energy back to a hundred and ending the show with their notable song “Jungle.” And as if it were a movie, under the sounds of chatter and Rupert Holmes’s “Escape (The Piña Colada Song),” the crowd slowly began exiting the club, no doubt still high from the experience.

This concert was simply unforgettable and exactly what you expect from a band that’s been on stage for more than a decade, which makes us wonder what the future holds for them. Hopefully, more shows with new and old tracks but nevertheless the same energy.

Bella Pchelarova