Solomon Spencer, 17, travelled for 8 hours by Megabus from Granite Falls, North Carolina to see Brockhampton live in D.C. yesterday.

Doors opened at 7:30 p.m. and the concert started around 9 p.m., but for Spencer and his friend Trevor Hazen, who had early access passes, doors opened a few minutes before 7 p.m. They got in line at 9:30 a.m.

“The reason why I get in line so early for concerts and stuff like this is because of the emotional connection I have with them,” Spencer said before the concert. “Being a queer kid from the middle of suburbia, no one being exactly accepting, finding yourself through music, that is really inspiring.”

Spencer said he saw Brockhampton live earlier in 2018, and he considers being a fan of the group so early in their career “something special.”

“I think they’re really changing what it means to be a boy band, and they’re changing what music is,” he said. “I don’t think they’re the next Wu-Tang, but I do think they could be the next One Direction, and I think they’re going towards that.”

[Read more: Review: BROCKHAMPTON’s ‘iridescence’ is a spiritual journey]

Kevin Abstract, the band’s frontman, opened the show with the emotional track “WEIGHT” while standing in a single spotlight. He kept his connection with the crowd for their entire set. He repeatedly yelled for the crowd to open a pit — but he also led it like a choir conductor during slow hooks.

“The concert was insane high energy with songs that varied in mood,” said Matthew Lober, a junior studying computer science at this university. “At some points you’d be caught in a mosh and then in the next song you’d be singing a ballad with someone.”

During their show, Brockhampton performed with the coordination and connection of a typical pop boy band, dancing together on stage in matching outfits, but the content of their music gives them a rougher edge. During the slower track “TONYA,” the boys stood together in a line with their backs facing the crowd.

The group continually engaged with the crowd and got creative with their hype-man-esque dance moves. At one point, a fan threw a Bible on stage and Dom McLennon flipped through it before throwing it back into the tightly-packed crowd.

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JOBA shined during the boyband’s set, with his eccentric dance moves and expressive personality. His powerful verses on “J’OUVERT” and “NEW ORLEANS” were some of the hypest moments of the show, where simply existing in the crowd felt like a fight to the death.

Khadijah Diop said she’s a Brockhampton fan because she was originally a fan of Kevin Abstract’s solo work, and was attracted to Kevin and the group because they’re “honest.”

“They are unapologetically themselves, and I’m down with that,” said Diop, 19, from Northern Virgina. “I’m just weird, I brought a fucking book to a concert, so I’m not really — I’m just a little weird, and they’re a little weird, so it’s a good fit.”

Brockhampton’s stage presence and fan dedication may resemble that of a typical boy band, but their path to stardom and their music are incredibly unique.

Their creative energy was clear through their performance, and it’s obvious how much they love each other, their fans and what they do. If this concert was any indication, it’s clear their fans love them just as much.