ACL Live Shots

Passion Pit

I recently mused that many of the tunes from Passion Pit's debut LP, Manners, would blossom onstage, and I was right, even though it took the Boston quintet 20 minutes to achieve combustion levels. Kicking off on "Eyes as Candles," singer Michael Angelakos behind a Wurlitzer, the set sustained a low-key, slightly reflective mood initially. Thankfully, the group ratcheted things up with the gently rollicking thump of "Little Secrets," yet the damage was already done. By the time the single "Sleepyhead" rolled around to cheers from the diehards, much of the horde was slogging away through the sod-flecked fertilizer slurry formerly known as Zilker Park. The intrepid faithful, bouncing as one with arms waving, were rewarded with set closer "The Reeling," which ended things on a high note. Passion Pit may be made up of powerhouse musicians and performers, but fledgling bands need to come at festival sets with guns a-blazing to wow a crowd.