Dancers in astronaut costumes. Teenagers crowd surfing. Blow up dolls bouncing around the crowd. Buzz Under the Stars Night Four most definitely kicked off with a bang.

I arrived at five o’clock on friday night to wait in line before getting into the outdoor venue at Crossroads KC, and was immediately greeted with workers from 96.5 The Buzz passing out concert pamphlets and mini cakes to the growing crowd. Even as a frequent concert goer, this marked my first time at an outdoor venue.

When six o’clock rolled around, the doors opened to the public and I caught my first glimpse of Crossroads KC at Grinders. Even as a smaller venue, it seemed the perfect place for the alternative rock event. After purchasing a Grouplove t-shirt and wandering around a bit, the girls and I settled into our second row general admission spots, with a crystal clear view of the stage.

Around seven, the first act waltzed onto the stage. STRFKR was quite the spectacle, with lots of interesting dancers and props made to throw into the crowd. They didn’t have many words to go along with their songs, but the members made the show memorable with their quirky interjections and hippy dancing.

After about an hour, STRFKR left the stage and the crew began preparing for the next act, Portugal the Man. I wasn’t a huge fan of them in the first place, but I was interested to see what they had in store. As the band started their first few songs, the sky grew darker and more dangerous. About three songs in, the lead guitarist announced that they would have to stop for a bit because of a storm delay. The crew covered all the equipment with plastic bags and waited for the storm to pass. The sky however, just grew more nasty-looking. There was a green tint to the clouds, and the girls and I contemplated leaving more than once. About fifteen minutes in, rain started pouring down in Kansas City. For the next hour and a half the storm sporadically went on and off.

Finally around ten o’clock, Portugal the Man finished their act and the band that I had been waiting for all night took to the stage. Grouplove started with the first song from their new album, “I’m With You” and continued to play all the favorites, “Itchin’ On A Photograph”, “Shark Attack” and “Tongue-Tied”. The energy from the band members radiated through the crowd and pulsed throughout Kansas City. Christian Zucconi (lead vocals and guitar) and Hannah Hooper (lead vocals and keyboard) jumped all over the stage and put on a fantastic show.

In between songs, Hooper made sure to keep the crowd upbeat. She advised the audience to make art through dancing, singing- any kind they could. “Even if you don’t think you’re creative you are,” Hooper said.

Because of the rain delay Grouplove was not able to play their full set; but despite this, the concert was still an upbeat and eccentric experience.

If you want to live out the show, check out the the concert experience for Shark Attack here, and Itchin’ On A Photograph here (courtesy of Delaney Oliver).