Back when I was growing up, shop bands that sound similar to Fitz and The Tantrums were on the radio all the time. In fact, you couldn’t go anywhere without hearing the classic Motown sounds of the Supremes, the Temptations, the Four Tops, or the Commodores.
No, I didn’t grow up in the 60’s, but my dad was (and still is) a big fan of the music he grew up with, and always had the radio tuned to the local oldies station. Because of this, I’ve always had a soft spot for Motown, and I now appreciate the fact that my first lesson in music was a pretty good one.
Fast forward to the first time I heard LA’s Fitz and the Tantrums, and I have to say I was pretty impressed. The history of popular music is a story of revivals – styles come and go, and then usually come back again. We’re seeing it now with garage rock on one end of the spectrum, and disco on the other. However,
On Monday night at the House of Blues, they delivered a performance that Motown Records founder Barry Gordon Jr. would be proud of. The six-piece band effortlessly replicated the slick tunes from their first two records while displaying an energy that screamed, “we’re thrilled to be here!”
Lead singers Michael Fitzbatrick and Noelle Scaggs have tremendous on-stage chemistry, with each presenting a very distinct vocal style and way of moving about the stage that perfectly complements the other performer. Scaggs in particular couldn’t stand to stay in one place for more than a few seconds, shaking the tambourine and bouncing from mic to mic as if the band’s pre-show rider consisted solely of espresso shots.
The band closed their set with “L.O.V. at nearly the exact moment the Red Sox recorded the final out to win Gam5 of the World Series – earning quite a reaction from both those paying attention to the band, and those hugging and high-fiving over at the bar.
Earlier in the night, the show had served as a showcase for opening act Capital Cities, a band that has risen to semi-stardom on the popularity of their #1 single “Safe And Sound. I would describe most of their set as “inoffensive”, and I couldn’t help wondering why a group of professional musicians would willingly choose to play such a sterile collection of songs.
They closed with their hit single, which had the crowd somewhat enthused. Instead of making their exit, they asked for “one last dance”, and began pumping a remix version of the track through the PA while jumping around the stage. They then asked the crowd to remove their jackets and twirl them around in the air. I would say it was pretty lame, but hundreds of people joined in, and this band has a song with 37 million plays on Spotify, so they probably know their audience a whole lot better than I do.
