LIVE REVIEW: EMPIRE OF THE SUN – ASK THAT GOD: AFTERLIFE @ AMERIS BANK AMPHITHEATRE, ALPHARETTA, GA – SEPTEMBER 13, 2026

There are concerts where the production adds to the music, and then there are shows like Empire of the Sun, where the music, costumes, lights, dancers and visuals all become one giant piece of art.

On Sunday, September 13, Empire of the Sun brought the Ask That God: Afterlife Tour to Ameris Bank Amphitheatre in Alpharetta, Georgia, with Midnight Generation and Polo & Pan setting the stage for a night that looked unlike just about anything else that has rolled through the venue this year.

Midnight Generation opened the evening with a mix of funk, disco and electronic pop that didn’t need much time to get people moving. The Mexico-based band fit this tour almost perfectly, bringing the kind of upbeat grooves that made it clear early that this wasn’t going to be a night where everyone stayed planted in their seats.

Polo & Pan followed and pushed things even further into dance territory. The French duo’s combination of electronic music, house, disco and tropical influences turned their portion of the night into its own party. Rather than feeling like two acts simply filling time before the headliner, the opening sets worked as a progression toward the completely different world Empire of the Sun was about to create.

Then the stage changed.

Empire of the Sun arrived around 9:25 p.m., and from that point forward Ameris barely resembled the same amphitheater.

Luke Steele appeared in the elaborate wardrobe that has become such a huge part of the band’s identity, surrounded by musicians, dancers, massive video imagery and lighting that seemed to change the entire appearance of the stage from one song to the next. There were multiple costume changes throughout the performance, synchronized choreography and enough movement happening at any given moment that it was almost impossible to decide where to look.

For a concert photographer, it was the rare show where waiting for something interesting to happen wasn’t necessary. Something was always happening.

Steele might step into another beam of light, the dancers would suddenly appear in a completely different costume, the video wall would shift environments, or the entire color palette of the stage would change in seconds. Even standing directly in front of it, there were moments where the scale of the production was hard to take in through a camera.

But underneath all of that production was a setlist that covered nearly every part of Empire of the Sun’s career.

The night opened with the unreleased “Desire” before moving into “Changes,” “Half Mast,” “Old Flavours” and “Cherry Blossom.” The first unmistakable wave of recognition came with “We Are the People,” one of those songs where the opening notes alone were enough to bring voices up throughout the amphitheater.

Newer material such as “Television,” “Music on the Radio,” “Revolve” and “Ask That God” fit comfortably beside songs that have been part of the Empire of the Sun catalog for well over a decade. “High and Low,” “Standing on the Shore,” “Swordfish Hotkiss Night” and “Two Vines” kept the middle of the set moving while the visuals continued evolving around the band.

Eventually came the song everyone knew was coming.

“Walking on a Dream” has become much bigger than simply the title track from Empire of the Sun’s 2008 debut. It’s one of those songs that seems attached to a thousand different memories depending on who is listening. Hearing it outdoors with the entire production glowing behind Steele gave it the scale it deserved.

After “Revolve” and “Ask That God” closed the main set, the band returned for an encore of “Tiger by My Side” before finishing with “Alive.”

And “Alive” felt like exactly the right place to end it.

Empire of the Sun has never been a band that simply walks onto a stage, plays its songs and goes home. The visual side of what they do has always been connected to the music, but the Afterlife production takes that idea about as far as you can take it inside an amphitheater.

There were moments Sunday night when it felt closer to watching a futuristic stage production than a traditional concert. Costumes, dancers, electronic music, guitars, huge video environments and constantly shifting light all competed for attention without completely burying the songs underneath them.

I’ve photographed a lot of concerts at Ameris Bank Amphitheatre, but very few have looked like this one.

For one night, Empire of the Sun didn’t just play Alpharetta.

They built their own world inside it.

Empire of the Sun Photo Gallery

Polo and Pan Photo Gallery

Midnight Generation Photo Gallery

Setlist

• Desire
• Changes
• Half Mast
• Old Flavours
• Cherry Blossom
• We Are the People
• Television
• High and Low
• Standing on the Shore
• Music on the Radio
• Swordfish Hotkiss Night
• Two Vines
• Celebrate
• I’ll Be Around
• This Land Is Your Land
• Walking on a Dream
• Revolve
• Ask That God
• Encore: Tiger by My Side
• Encore: Alive

Watch

Tour Poster

Follow

Upcoming Shows

More live coverage from No Flash Needed

Live photography by Chris Collett for No Flash Needed. © 2026 No Flash Needed. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without written permission.