Last night we decided against another So You Think You Can Dance episode and meandered towards The Ogden Theatre for Fitz & The Tantrums’ second performance of a two-day stay. While we would have liked to mull over athletes greater than ourselves from the comfort of a perfectly formed couch-groove, we just couldn’t help but get to a show that was arguably one of the most talked about this season.

 

Photo Credits: Miles Chrisinger

Last night we decided against another So You Think You Can Dance episode and meandered towards The Ogden Theatre for Fitz & The Tantrums’ second performance of a two-day stay. While we would have liked to mull over athletes greater than ourselves from the comfort of a perfectly formed couch-groove, we just couldn’t help but get to a show that was arguably one of the most talked about this season.

But going through the motions of a formal show review and pretentiously trying to fact blast every little part of the performance isn’t our bag. We’d rather not. A live music performance is a different experience for everyone, and for us to sit here and try to convey that personal encounter would be trivial. Instead we noted a few things during the show, and for a time-killing experience, here they be:

Holychild has potential in Colorado.

As we were getting warmed up with a few ounces of Yella Pils, The LA pop act Holychild was in place to entertain early revelers. It wasn’t the cleanest band to ever hit the Ogden stage, but the small missteps didn’t really detract anything away from their strange reggae hybrid, electro frosted sound. The fourth to last song – what we can only assume is titled “Tell Me How It Is” – had the most memorable qualities to it. Vocalist Liz Nistico explained beforehand that the song is part of Holychild’s new material. If the act can pick up on how to drop an adequate amount of power like that and clean up the set, it’ll no doubt have Colorado wrapped around whichever finger it so chooses.

Max Frost had that one song that one time.

Everyone in Denver has heard Frost’s single “White Lies” over and over again on the radio; so they knew that one was coming eventually. Getting to that point though was a rough sail over muddy waters. Most of the listeners had no idea what to do with Frost because his upbeat stage sound was so unlike the distorted style of his popular lo-fi tinged single. It seemed like everyone was expecting a double-baco-whammy burger and opened up a Whopper. They ate it anyways, but were seemingly disappointed with the outcome.

It’s amazing to see how the crowds change with radio popularity.

Staring at strangers in public is one of the finest American traditions this side of Freedom Fries. It’s our constitutional right to creep, and creep we will. Admittedly, most of the time at shows we’re not paying much attention to the bands. They have their place, sure, but what really gets our seeds germinated is the opportunity to watch our music loving peers.

Fitz & The Tantrums brought out a superb crowd for this. Far and away from the conventional ‘music scene toting’ type, the fans gathered in a peaceful and upbeat fashion. From the guy breathing out DUIs while pumping his forty-year-old arm candy full of over-priced Ciroc, to the quaint hipstresses in the corner – each were there for a singular quest of musical purpose.

Blog writers are the greatest gift to mankind. Make us comfortable.

This is an open call to all Colorado venues. We need some sort of a press box equipped with chairs, personal tenders and a bottomless supply of Gold Bond. We’re sick of standing. Music journalists all think (know) that we’re the divine’s greatest gift to the written word; so shouldn’t it just be par for the course? We’ve already petitioned WalMart to provide waiting room seats in the checkout lines, so don’t feel like you’re all being singled out. Now go, tend to our excessive desires.

All Colorado revelers know how to party, not just the candy kids.

There were no less than two pregnant women, one couple with young children and three attendees on crutches – one of whom was still holding his wife’s purse for her in his own disabled state. If that’s not turning up, we don’t want to know what the hell is. For people in this manner to swing out late on a Wednesday night and enjoy themselves is not only a testament to the fans we have here, but to the power of music in this area. This is a party town – old and young – and we approve of it all.

Fitz & The Tantrums are some of music’s finest.

Michael “Fitz” Fitzpatrick and company know how to commandeer a stage and use it for all intents and purposes. From first note the entire act is flailing, shimmying and pounding every incoming sense into oblivion. Fitzpatrick has a storied theatre background, so it’s no wonder that he has the kind of professional level of comfort he does on deck. Even in the face of a few minor sound issues, Fitz and co-vocalist Noelle Scaggs turned it into opportunity. Fitz & The Tantrums' entire set was compelling and provocative, production trickery be damned.

The only slight downside to the evening was when the energy seemed to drag down during their rendition of “Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This).” But even in the face of low-tempo the band was still up, hyped and in every front-row reveler’s face. Midway through Fitzpatrick even made the researched proclamation that Broncos fans should be able “to do better than that” when cheers bottomed out. And if ever there were any qualms about whether or not they’re grabbing influence from the ‘80s – the sax shut up them right up. The old-school squelch made a palatable impact on the vibe. We damn near rolled up our suit coat jacket sleeves and haphazardly ordered a St. Ides for everyone 18 and older. (Get it? Because the drinking age used to be 18 in the early ‘80s? No?)

…and of course they had confetti. We always need confetti.

There just simply can’t be any shows in this town anymore without confetti blasters pummeling people at the end. Where does one even buy stock in paper scrap guns? We want in.

Click here to see a slideshow of the 07/01 performance!