Show Review: Foster the People @ Emo’s

It was hot. The air was human temperature as Foster the People performed to hands in the air and a crowd-sourced backing vocal. It was a show that was booked well in advance of the blogospheric rise; I get the feeling that Stubb’s would have been sold out. Hearing $80 deals go down to get into Emo’s?

Gardens & Villa opened, so head past the break for words and pics…

The scene was crazy. The wall leading down sixth was full of people seeking tickets, debating whether or not to pay the “agents” asking price. Once inside, the stage was already a few rows deep of fans jockeying for stage side space. I knew it was going to be warm, but the far side angle was brutally hot. Fans in the ceiling would kick on sporadicly bringing recycled air and collective sighs.

Gardens & Villa were a great choice of opener. Arching through quirky, pensive, dancy and loud, G&V pulled in a crowd that was very much there to just see the headliner. Strong vocals, solid rhythm section and a proper stage presence earned more than a few those-guys-are-good’s following their set. “Black Hills” and “Star Fire Power” were the best tracks according to my show notes. Keyboardist Adam Rasmusen had a towel wrapped around his head for the last few songs, hopefully wet with cold water. They concluded their set with an honest cover of Gary Numan’s “Cars”. Nothing cute, no interpretation, no irony, seemingly just a straight up tribute to a musician they were obviously influenced by.

Longest set break ever, people melting.

Foster the People entered into view to be lit by point-and-shoot and cell phone flashes. The crowd needed to move. “Warrant” kicked things off with front-man Mark Foster pounding the extra drum on stage. It was a strong lead song. The start-stop “Miss You” followed, but the first song to really get me was “Houdini”. It has a nice a range of style and harmonies. The keyboard hook works magic with the piano backing.

The set was Torches on shuffle. “I Would Do Anything” is a personal favorite from the LP and it did not disappoint live. It was followed by the only song of the night not on Torches, a close miss that probably should have been included called “Broken Jaw”. These two songs back-to-back were the highlight of the show. The crowd would disagree, of course. The density under the barn roof shot up as the opening bits of “Pumped Up Kicks” hit the courtyards drawing pockets of friends away from whatever conversation they shouldn’t have been having. Sing-along-fist-pump. “Don’t Stop” finished the regular set, leaving “Helena Beat” to be the encore.

If the show proves anything it is that Torches is a solid album and the band knows how to play it live. The show never seemed to drag or fall flat. That’s not something you can say about most bands in the process of blowing up and it shows they have justifiable confidence in what they put out there…

More pics available over at the photo site…