Nate Ruess from the band fun. energetically gets the crowd involved in a song during their concert at Club 156 in Boulder Tuesday. The band's passionate and exciting show was sold out like nearly all their other performances this tour. (CU Independent/Adam Milner)
There is no time like the present to go big.
When fun. took to the stage Tuesday night at a sold out show in the UMC’s Club 156, no one in the audience seemed prepared for the energy and intensity that the members of the newly formed New York band would bring.
Opening with the song “At Least I’m Not As Sad (As I Used to Be),” off their first and newest album, “Aim and Ignite,” fun. had turned an excited crowd into an ecstatic one.
“This is one of the best crowds we’ve ever had,” said lead singer Nate Ruess, former lead singer of the popular and now dissolved band, The Format.
fun. delivered a powerful performance with clever lyrics, Andrew Dost’s masterful use of a trumpet, and vocals that ranged from soft whispers to fierce, emotional yells.
“I haven’t seen that much energy in Club 156 in a long time,” said Jessica Whitten, a 22-year-old senior English major.
fun. played an eight song set list, including two surprise songs originally done by The Format, “Dog Problems” and “The First Single.”
Erika Kleissle, a 20-year-old junior integrative physiology major, felt the use of The Format’s songs made the night.
“I loved it,” said Kleissle. “Even though [The Format] is gone, you can still hear their songs live.”
The Boulder crowd had taken in the feel-good indie pop with open arms as flashing lights, a dancing front man and synchronized clapping, often without cues from the band, filled the venue.
“They were really great,” said Danielle Sandoval, a 20-year-old sophomore sociology major. “They’re a really developed band, and it was great that the crowd knew all the lyrics.”
The opening act, the Alan Baird Project, put on a long and arduous performance. An impressive—albeit cheesy—guitar solo was not enough to drown out the sound of whining vocals and empty choruses.
“I wasn’t really paying that much attention to the band,” said Chris Godefroy, a 20-year-old junior communication major.
fun. closed out the night with a one song encore, “Take Your Time (Coming Home).” The final song left the crowd cheering long after the band had left the stage and the lights came on.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Sebastian Murdock at Sebastian.murdock@colorado.edu.
1 comment
Thanks for the great review Sebastian! You clearly know music!