Halloween marked the second sold-out night in a row for Fitz and the Tantrums and Capital Cities’ “Bright Futures Tour” stop at the 9:30 Club.
LA natives Beat Club set the mood for the rest of the show with a short but sweet opening set. Their heavy-on-music/light-on-vocals approach worked for the band’s funky style, which was clearly influenced by music of the ‘80s. Deep synths and drum solos nodded back to older music while maintaining a fresh vibe. However, this made the final song of their set “Relax” stand out when it took on a ‘90s-era punk sound.
Capital Cities took the stage afterward, against a giant backdrop of lit-up sunglasses similar to the ones each member wore on while performing. Each member’s attire also included a different themed one-piece footie pajama in the spirit of both Halloween and general weirdness. They played a full set of their signature electro-themed indie-pop with what seemed to be an unlimited supply of energy matched only by the crowd’s response to them. Ryan Merchant and Sebu Simonian shared lead vocal duties as well as playing the guitar and keyboard respectively. Capital Cities’ performance was exponentially advanced by the addition of a trumpet, played by the talented showman Spencer Ludwig.
The band played crowd favorites such as “I Sold My Bed, But Not My Stereo” and a fantastic cover mash-up of the Bee Gees’ “Stayin’ Alive” and an electric version of Weezer’s “Undone.” After closing the show with their hit “Safe and Sound,” all five members returned to the stage to host a 10-minute dance party to a remix of the same song. They jumped around without playing any instruments themselves while instructing audience members to swing shirts around their heads, leading by example.
The sunglasses lifted, replaced by the same pulsating electric heart backdrop featured as the album cover on Fitz and the Tantrums newest album “More Than Just a Dream.” Michael Fitzpatrick (aka Fitz), Noelle Scaggs and the rest of the six-piece band took the stage for an hour of non-stop movement and vocal enlightenment. Fitz, wearing a well-deserved crown in honor of Halloween, stayed on perfect pitch despite his franctic running on stage, from hits like “Don’t Gotta Work it Out” and “Out of My League” to an even more funky cover of Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams.” His counterpart Scaggs, who doesn’t deserve to be called a back-up vocalist, infused deep soul vocals that matched Fitz’s poppier ones.
The result was sonic perfection.
The musical and performing chemistry was undeniable on stage. Both were also great dancers, adding to the overall feeling that they were truly enjoying the music they were performing. The rest of the band only enhanced this feeling, particularly James King, who by the end of the show had played six different instruments, including an elaborate saxophone solo during a stripped-down, piano-only version of “Last Raindrop”. The encore, consisting of “MoneyGrabber” and “The Walker” bid the crowd good-bye in style, with a shower of confetti as the building was lit by turquoise and purple lights, the color scheme of the album “More Than Just a Dream.”
The night was truly a celebration of soul, Halloween and the pursuit of a good time.
thescene@theeagleonline.com
