Fitz and the Tantrums and Capital Cities drew large crowds to the House of Blues on Monday night. Throughout the concert, the bands exhibited two stage presences as different as their songs.
Capital Cities, whose meteoric rise in recent years is due to their single Safe and Sound, delivered a performance that diverged from the typical electro, neo-pop sound that characterizes their major hit. During the show, the group brought a pink bass and purple trombone onstage to complement the lead vocals of songwriting duo Ryan Merchant and Sebu Simonian. These extra elements, combined with drummer Channing Holmes beats, produced a strange, intoxicating sound. Wavering somewhere between blues-rock, electro-pop, dance and soul, Capital Cities wove seductive brass hooks between cleverly-worded melodies all with a stage presence that was as electric as the giant neon sunglasses glowing in the background during the show.
Capital Cities played to the dance-music taste of their target audience, mostly comprising young adults. Simonian, whose facial hair is almost as remarkable as his command of the stage, treated the audience to equal parts sass and sweetness. His raw, devious charm was infectious the perfect introduction to each of the bands songs. Its true that Capital Cities tends to lack stage movement but though they dont have One Direction-esque dance moves, the audience didnt expect those same antics. The sexy walk of the trombone player, who strutted around like a young Miles Davis, was enough to entertain any fan.
Their performance managed to capture the feeling of a unique listening experience in the best way possible. Whether it was raucous dance-powered hits like Kangaroo Court or harder rock anthems like I Stole My Bed, But Not My Stereo, the band demonstrated their knack for diversity, all the while maintaining an overarching cohesive sound. And if their electronic, slowed-down version of the Bee Gees 1977 hit Stayin Alive didnt deliver a funky enough vibe for concert-goers, then the bands closing number an extended, dynamo version of Safe and Sound was sure to convince any listener of Capital Cities talent. Their finale, received by an enthusiastic audience waving articles of clothing in the air and screaming lyrics, was the icing on the cake.
Fitz and the Tantrums did not even remotely measure up to the same level of showmanship, stage presence and musical ability of their opener. Although they began with a crowd favorite, Break the Walls, their show had a slow, tentative start that was saved only by the powerful energy of lead female singer Noelle Scaggs. Unfortunately, lead male vocalist Michael Fitzpatrick gave weak song introductions and struggled to move the concert along. The bands set was clearly controlled by Scaggs the ringleader of the show while Fitzpatrick appeared to move aimlessly around the stage. The band chose to play well-composed songs, but they were rarely well delivered. Get Away nearly reached Muse-like power with a healthy dose of background synth, but it ultimately missed the mark. House is On Fire also had a promising introduction from Fitzpatrick and Scaggs, but soon disappointed with its low energy.
One couldnt help but think that the band was lacking in originality, especially when they used songs like the Eurythymics Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) as a crowd energizer, but neglected to add their own personal spin. Despite these shortcomings, it was still fairly evident that the band possesses potential, particularly when they played their hit Out of My League. As Scaggs gratefully said to the Boston crowd, It is ... people like you who have made it a hell of a year for this band. Indeed, its been a successful year for Fitz and the Tantrums, who had a string of late night talk show performances and released a new album that displayed promise.
But that was all that the concert delivered: promise. Falling flat, Fitz and the Tantrums could take a note from Capital Cities and fine tune their performance. Overall, Capital Cities seems to have an exciting future ahead of them, while Fitz and the Tantrums must work fast to avoid getting left in the dust by newer bands.
