Review by Jenna Hughes, photos by Ken Lackner
Full gallery at the bottom of the post.
With a band name like fun. (the period is intentional), one would expect a lively, upbeat and well, fun live show. The band definitely lived up to its name on Friday night, touring in support of their new album Some Nights. Fun. must have made an impression on Atlanta after their last tour with Panic! At The Disco, because this time they played before a sold out crowd. From the very first song, the stunning title track, the fans were on their feet singing along and shaking the floor beneath them.
Fun. didn’t disappoint their long time fans, delivering hits from their 2009 album Aim & Ignite like “Walking The Dog” and “All The Pretty Girls” along with plenty of songs from Some Nights. Front man Nate Ruess stomped across the stage with flamboyance reminiscent of Mick Jagger, never once losing his energy or the smile on his face. At one point in the show, during which the band temporarily stopped to change out guitars, the crowd was still cheering and screaming for more. As the lights went up again, the band members simply stared at the cheering fans with stunned looks on their faces, scratching their heads in awe, which only stirred the audience more. Nate Ruess made a point to grab the mic and tell the fans that, “All of you singing along and cheering for us…that right there is the s*#t,” before the band launched into their next song.
Most of the band’s material is feel-good, uplifting music that is borderline corny but manages to stand up for itself at the same time. With tracks like “Be Calm” and “It Gets Better,” fun. assures their listeners that life is hard, but they shouldn’t take it too seriously anyway. This is probably most evidenced with the song ‘We Are Young’, which has become a veritable anthem for the youth of the world. The lyrics, “Tonight we are young, so let’s set the world on fire and we can burn brighter than the sun” spread the band’s message that life is about letting go and having fun. Period.
Fun.:
Sleeper Agent:
