fun. has been the absolute best thing to come from the ashes of the format, naturally. aim & ignite was my 2009 album of the year, so it goes without say that i was excited to finally catch these guys headline a show with an album to back. bringing along the sing-a-long champions of the road steel train was just an added bonus.

for reasons unknown: there was no photo pit at this show, and thus, my photo pass was both non-existent and useless. the three pictures featured on this post are courtesy of wonderful flickr-er gift of asylum. hit the jump for the recap.

-grizzly

Arriving at the venue in the middle of a set from Gold Motel was definitely bittersweet. For one, my initial reaction to any opening band is always the complete opposite of enthusiasm. At the same time, it’s not every day that you come across one that would’ve won you over, had you been there to witness the entire set. So the Greta Morgan (of Hush Sound fame) fronted project left me at a huge loss for missing out.

No fret, though. The Steel Train band were on the road, with Jack Antonoff pulling double duties with both Steel Train and the headliners. With a new album to show off, it was surprising to see a setlist heavy in old material. Opening with the 1-2 punch of “Bullet” and “Turnpike Ghost” was a crowd pleaser, as both have the grooves to make the most unsuspecting concert goer move. A definite highlight of the set was their wonderful embrace of their Yo Gabba Gabba performance, as they played “It’s Fun to Dance,” and forced the crowd (in the most loving way possible) to dance their collective asses off. I can honestly say that at 24 years of age, I’ve yet to witness a room of 200 people wiggle their entire body at once.

Despite having won over the crowd completely, Steel Train were forced to cut one song from their set, which I presume was either “You and I Undercover” or possibly another song off of the self-titled record.

fun. were up next, and their Houston following was heavily underestimated. Coming out to Aim & Ignite opener “Be Calm” to an illuminated sign that simply read “fun.,” Nate Reuss, Jack Antonoff (for round two), Andrew Dost and the rest of the traveling fun. crew set out for the blood that runs from the vein that’s connected to the dance artery. I know it’s corny, but it’s hard not to dabble in a bit of cheese while referring to the band.

Having never seen The Format live, I’ve resorted to DVD and YouTube footage to fulfill my nostalgia. One thing I noticed immediately is that I’ve never seen Nate Reuss as enthusiastic and completely involved with his music as he was on stage with fun. The shared previous experiences from past tours with the Format really worked out with the onstage chemistry of the band. And hey, Nate was more than happy to perform “Dog Problems,” that definitely appeased the 7% of the crowd who came solely to hear a song from The Format.

There was plenty of banter and crowd interaction between songs, whether it be about “eventually taking over Paramore’s UK tour to headline the stadiums” or being fans of completely terrible teams (see: Toronto Raptors), there was more than enough to keep the crowd entertained, especially for a headlining band with one album out. They even managed to fit in a new song, “What The Fuck Happened to Us?,” before announcing that they would be recording shortly after the tour. Needless to say, The Format nostalgia was completely offset by the amount of life fun. puts into their sets. There were several instances where Nate Reuss ran into the crowd to share certain dance-centric moments and nearly had the room in tears during “The Gambler.” That kind of show.

To sum up: This was the best summer tour that the fall could’ve asked for; also the best one you didn’t see, seeing how it’s over.

——————

SETLISTS:

[Steel Train]

Bullet
Turnpike Ghost
I Feel Weird
Kill Monsters in the Rain
Firecracker
It’s Fun to Dance (Yo Gabba Gabba)
Road Song
S.O.G. Burning in Hell

[fun.]

Be Calm
Walking The Dog
Benson Hedges
I Wanna Be The One
Dog Problems (The Format)
Barlights
Light a Roman Candle With Me
All The Pretty Girls
What the Fuck Happened to Us? (New Song)
At Least I’m Not as Sad (As I Used to Be)
—
The Gambler
Take Your Time (Coming Home)