What to expect at Two Door Cinema Club's “Tourist History” anniversary tour: Setlist, start time and more

Welcome to SeatGeek Front Row, where music writers share their tips for attending the biggest concert tours around the country. For this edition, NYC concert expert Annmarie Gajdos breaks down what it’s really like to see Two Door Cinema Club's "Tourist History" anniversary tour in person, from the setlist to the openers and even the exact time Two Door Cinema Club comes on.

Two Door Cinema Club’s Tourist History anniversary show at Madison Square Garden felt less like a concert where you had to prove you were the biggest fan in the room and more like the kind of show where you could simply show up, know a few songs and have a really good time.

That was my biggest takeaway from the night.

There was no elaborate fan dress code, no pressure to know every word and surprisingly few phones blocking the view compared with a lot of arena shows I’ve been to recently. The crowd skewed mostly late 20s and early 30s. Around me, people danced, waved their hands and reacted to the songs without the room ever feeling chaotic.

What a Two Door Cinema Club “Tourist History” anniversary concert is really like

The show officially celebrates 15 years of the band’s 2010 debut album, Tourist History, which helped take the Northern Irish trio from writing songs together in Bangor to larger-than-life stages around the world.

Here’s what fans should know before going.

How long is the concert and what time does Two Door Cinema Club come on?

If you care about the opening acts, be on time.

Doors at Madison Square Garden opened at 6 p.m., and the music started around 7. The first opener, Friendly Fires, had a relatively short set, followed by STRFKR around 7:30 p.m. Phantogram came on around 8:19 and finished at 8:56.

Two Door Cinema Club finally took the stage at approximately 9:26 p.m. and wrapped around 10:45.

The entire night stayed surprisingly close to schedule. So don’t assume you can stroll in late like at most shows. If an opener you care about is scheduled for a certain time, there is a very real chance you will miss part of the set if you are not there.

That said, if you are only there for Two Door Cinema Club, you probably do not need to be standing outside MSG when doors open. The night felt long to me after three opening acts, even though I enjoyed them, and there was a particularly noticeable set changeover after Phantogram.

Are the opening acts worth seeing?

What impressed me most about the lineup was how much the artists actually made sense together.

A lot of tours pair a headliner with an opener whose music feels like it came from a completely different universe. This did not feel like that.

Friendly Fires, STRFKR, Phantogram and Two Door Cinema Club all operated somewhere within the same synth-heavy, electronic, indie-pop world, even though each approached it differently.

STRFKR leaned into the weirdness the most. Performers dressed in astronaut-like costumes danced across the stage, and one ended up crowd-surfing while practically folding into a split and then a straddle on top of the crowd. It may genuinely have been the most graceful crowd surf I have ever seen.

Phantogram had one of the strongest crowd reactions of the opening sets. Their performance relied heavily on synthesizers, loops, pounding electronic production and bright lights hitting both the stage and crowd.

There was actually a technical problem at the beginning of their set that made the track sound noticeably wrong. Instead of trying to push through it, the band stopped, acknowledged it and restarted the song.

Once everything was fixed, the set settled into that atmospheric electronic sound Phantogram does so well and ended with “Black Out Days.”

There was a noticeable rush toward the concourse afterward, but people were not abandoning the show. Most seemed to be grabbing drinks, using the bathroom or buying merch before the headliner.

What is the Two Door Cinema Club “Tourist History” anniversary setlist?

If you are coming for Tourist History, you are going to hear the whole thing.

Two Door Cinema Club played all 10 songs from the album at Madison Square Garden, but they did not perform the record front to back. Instead, the anniversary songs were spread throughout a 20-song set alongside tracks from the rest of the band’s catalog.

Here was the full Madison Square Garden setlist:

1. “Cigarettes in the Theatre”

2. “I Can Talk”

3. “Come Back Home”

4. “This Is the Life”

5. “Costume Party”

6. “Do You Want It All?”

7. “Something Good Can Work”

8. “Sleep Alone”

9. “Next Year”

10. “Changing of the Seasons”

11. “Lavender”

12. “Handshake”

13. “Wonderful Life”

14. “Kids”

15. “Are We Ready? (Wreck)”

16. “Sun”

17. “Undercover Martyn”

18. “You’re Not Stubborn”

19. “Eat That Up, It’s Good for You”

20. “What You Know”

Was there an encore?

Kind of.

Two Door Cinema Club gave the crowd what I would describe as a fake encore.

The lights dropped, there was the usual end-of-show energy and the band gave the impression that the night had reached its conclusion, but there was no prolonged disappearing act followed by everyone pretending to be shocked when they returned.

Before the final song, lead singer Alex Trimble also threw out a tantalizing “maybe we will do this again.” Although not a formal tour announcement, it did feel like a promise of show dates to come.

A memorial image honoring two men, Jim and Mark, also briefly appeared on the screen once the show concluded.

What was the biggest moment of the show?

For me, it was “What You Know.”

As soon as I heard the first note, it sent a chill through my body. Every memory I had of listening to the song on repeat in 2020 came flashing back to me.

The band initially played through the song, then paused long enough for the entire arena to erupt in cheers before returning to the chorus for a third time.

It also made for a slightly cruel concert dilemma: I wanted to record one of my favorite songs, but recording meant I was not fully experiencing the song I had been waiting all night to hear.

Luckily, I got another chance to truly experience it live and in stereo.

They saved the best for last. “What You Know” was the 20th and final song of the night.

What is the Two Door Cinema Club production like?

This is not a show built around pyrotechnics or giant arena gimmicks.

Instead, the production is very visual and intentional.

When the lights dimmed, “Chapter 1” appeared onscreen before a montage pulled from the band’s earlier years and media appearances. Throughout the night, the screens shifted between colorful psychedelic imagery, black-and-white patterns and visuals incorporating doors, including imagery of two doors opening.

The stage itself almost looked like a small stage built on top of the arena one, with an elevated structure and rounded marquee-style framing that played into the “cinema” aesthetic.

It is the kind of production that an artsy person could have a field day filming for Instagram Stories. But there was still something visually interesting behind the band without the visuals overpowering the actual performance.

Why Two Door Cinema Club’s “Tourist History” anniversary show felt special

What kept the retrospective concept from feeling forced was hearing the band talk about what the album represented in their lives.

At one point, bassist Kevin Baird reflected on how Tourist History divided their lives into a before and after.

“We’ve been a band a long time, and I don’t think we’ve ever really done that. Tourist History is kind of this massive inflection point in our life.”

He continued by talking about the band beginning as school friends making songs and described some of their unreleased early material as a “little time capsule” from when they were teenagers.

That context made the archival footage at the beginning of the show make more sense. This was not just a band playing an old album because fans wanted nostalgia. They seemed genuinely aware of how dramatically those songs changed their lives.

Later, guitarist Sam Halliday seemed almost overwhelmed by the night.

“I can’t stop smiling. I’m having a great time.”

That feeling came across even when nobody was speaking.

One of my favorite things to watch all night was Halliday completely losing himself in the music, dancing around with his guitar and looking like he was having the best time onstage.

The band did not spend much of the show talking. There were only a few longer pauses for speeches, but because they were relatively rare, those moments actually landed.

What is the crowd like?

This is probably one of the easiest arena shows to attend as a casual fan.

Around me, the crowd seemed largely late 20s to early 30s, with some younger fans mixed in. People stood when the band came out and got up throughout the show, but it was not a situation where everyone remained standing and screaming for the entire night.

There was plenty of dancing and a lot of hands in the air, but the floor did not look particularly rowdy.

I also noticed fewer phones constantly blocking the view than I have at many recent shows. People absolutely recorded songs, but it felt like more people were simply listening and dancing rather than documenting every second.

There was also none of that weird feeling that everyone around you somehow knows the entire lore of the artist and will immediately know you are not a superfan.

If you only know a handful of Two Door Cinema Club songs, you will be fine. This is still a place for you.

What is the merch like?

The merch selection was actually excellent.

Standard T-shirts were around $45, posters were approximately $30 and there were also totes, socks, hoodies and smaller accessories.

The piece that kept calling my name was the $75 green Tourist History jersey.

Maybe it was the sporty look. Maybe it was the iconic green coloring paired with an Irish band. Maybe it was the words “Tourist History” speaking directly to someone who spends half her life traveling.

Whatever the reason, it was extremely cute.

I ultimately thought $75 was a lot for someone who would not call herself a diehard fan, but it was easily the item I kept looking back at.

There was also merch available for the opening acts.

Unlike most concerts at the Garden, I did not see an MSG-exclusive Two Door Cinema Club item. The merchandise also seemed relatively consistent between stands, which meant there was less pressure to immediately get into the main downstairs line.

I never saw the merch wait become particularly brutal. At its busiest, I would estimate around 20 minutes, and items that appeared unavailable at one stand could still be found elsewhere.

What should you wear?

Whatever you want.

Seriously.

After years of concerts where fans collectively establish a theme, color palette or entire unofficial costume requirement, it was refreshing to attend a show where that did not seem to exist.

Most people wore normal concert clothing: T-shirts, jeans, sneakers, skirts and casual outfits. Some people dressed up more than others, but there was no obvious “Two Door Cinema Club uniform.”

There may be less visual “world-building” because of that, but it also makes the experience much more relaxed.

Nobody is going to look at you strangely because you did not create a Pinterest board months in advance before getting dressed.

What is it like seeing a concert like Two Door Cinema Club at Madison Square Garden?

Madison Square Garden can feel overwhelming on a packed concert night, but this show was surprisingly easy to navigate from finding a good seat to grabbing concessions and getting out after the final song.

Where should you sit for a concert at Madison Square Garden?

I was in Section 118, around Row 8, and thought it was a great seat for this particular production.

I was close enough that I still felt involved in the show, but I was not pushed so far to the side that I lost the screens or the full stage design.

The sound was also consistently good from there. I had no issue hearing the vocals, guitars or overall mix.

If your number-one priority is being physically close to the band, though, I would choose the floor.

MSG has enough physical separation between the floor and the lower seating bowl that even relatively good 100-level seats can feel noticeably farther from the performers than standing in GA.

For me, Section 118 worked because I cared about seeing the full production as much as I cared about proximity.

What should you know about bags, bathrooms and concessions at MSG?

One important MSG reminder: there is no convenient bag check inside the venue if you arrive with something prohibited.

If security will not let your item inside, you may have to find an outside locker or another storage option. Do not bring something questionable assuming MSG will simply hold it for you.

My actual security process was easy. My bag was checked quickly and I was inside without a problem.

Concessions were standard MSG pricing, and bathroom lines were surprisingly manageable.

That was actually one of the strangest things about this particular show. The arena looked packed by the time the later openers performed, yet I rarely felt trapped in massive lines or concourse bottlenecks.

I have been to other sold-out MSG concerts where walking anywhere feels like I stuck in human gridlock. This show never really reached that level.

How hard is it to leave MSG after the show?

Surprisingly easy.

The concert ended around 10:45 p.m., and people started moving out almost immediately.

From the 100 level, I followed the flow toward the back stairs and down toward the main exit. The downstairs merch area remained open for anyone making a last-minute purchase.

MSG staff were clearly ready to clear the building. I stopped to use the bathroom after the show and there was definitely a “keep it moving” energy from security, rather than people being encouraged to hang around.

But the upside was that I was out quickly.

There were no long staircase standstills, and I did not experience the kind of crushing post-show congestion I have encountered at other major concerts.

Penn Station is directly connected to the venue for train and subway riders. If you are taking a car service, walking a few blocks away from the immediate MSG zone before requesting one can also make pickup easier.

Is Two Door Cinema Club worth seeing if you are not a huge fan?

Yes, especially if you want a concert that feels fun without feeling demanding.

This was one of those shows where I never felt like there was a correct way to be a fan.

You could wear whatever you wanted. You could sit for part of the show. You could dance. You could know every song or know three songs. Nobody seemed particularly concerned with what everyone else was doing.

It reminded me a little of what concerts felt like before every show became its own social-media ecosystem.

And when a band that has been doing this for nearly two decades can walk onto the Madison Square Garden stage, look genuinely thrilled to be there and still make its biggest songs feel exciting, that low-pressure atmosphere works in its favor.

If you are seeing the Tourist History anniversary show, my biggest advice is simple: respect the schedule if you care about the openers, choose the floor if proximity matters most, and prepare yourself financially for that green jersey at the merch stand.