I saw Phoenix perform last night at the Electric Factory in Philadelphia, PA. I'm a big fan of Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, their latest album, but that doesn't guarantee an awesome live show. Well, Phoenixdoes put on a pretty awesome live show, in case you were wondering. They opened strong with "Lisztomania," the first single from their new album. For a club gig, the lighting set up was very elaborate. All of the men played their instruments well, but its the showman/lead singer Thomas Mars that owned the stage. From song to song, Mr. Mars' enthusiasm never wavered. When some performers ask the audience to get louder, it sounds like a desperate plea. When Mr. Mars' makes this request, it is a call to action for his apostles. I knew they were a band with a pretty good following, but these guys have fans. People were singing along to every word, dancing like maniacs, and for much of the sluggish middle, I didn't see what would cause these people to act like a pack of banshees.
The key was the finale. Finishing strong with four or five of the best tracks of the night, Phoenix outdid themselves during the encore, as they performed "1901" and nearly every single person in the audience was dancing, screaming along to the chorus. When Mr. Mars descended into the crowd, walking through the standing room club on his way to the cheap seats in the balcony for a final howl, the job was already done.
Back on his throne atop the stage, Mr. Mars once again requested some noise from the audience - and the hollers and screams from men and women alike were enough to rattle the whole block. As the musicians gave their final bow, these throughly entertaining, tireless men appeared somehow modest. For them, anothing day was done: sold out concert, songs played well, and oh yeah, a new army of followers. [A-] - Ryan Sartor.
Here's a fun video of "Lisztomania" cut to Brat Pack clips (Mannequin is stretching it, but fine):
Review: 'Phoenix' in concert
I saw Phoenix perform last night at the Electric Factory in Philadelphia, PA. I'm a big fan of Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, their latest album, but that doesn't guarantee an awesome live show. Well, Phoenixdoes put on a pretty awesome live show, in case you were wondering. They opened strong with "Lisztomania," the first single from their new album. For a club gig, the lighting set up was very elaborate. All of the men played their instruments well, but its the showman/lead singer Thomas Mars that owned the stage. From song to song, Mr. Mars' enthusiasm never wavered. When some performers ask the audience to get louder, it sounds like a desperate plea. When Mr. Mars' makes this request, it is a call to action for his apostles. I knew they were a band with a pretty good following, but these guys have fans. People were singing along to every word, dancing like maniacs, and for much of the sluggish middle, I didn't see what would cause these people to act like a pack of banshees.
The key was the finale. Finishing strong with four or five of the best tracks of the night, Phoenix outdid themselves during the encore, as they performed "1901" and nearly every single person in the audience was dancing, screaming along to the chorus. When Mr. Mars descended into the crowd, walking through the standing room club on his way to the cheap seats in the balcony for a final howl, the job was already done.
Back on his throne atop the stage, Mr. Mars once again requested some noise from the audience - and the hollers and screams from men and women alike were enough to rattle the whole block. As the musicians gave their final bow, these throughly entertaining, tireless men appeared somehow modest. For them, anothing day was done: sold out concert, songs played well, and oh yeah, a new army of followers. [A-] - Ryan Sartor.
Here's a fun video of "Lisztomania" cut to Brat Pack clips (Mannequin is stretching it, but fine):
