Fun. Brings the House down at Workplay - The Birmingham News - al.com (blog)

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Fun. Brings the House down at Workplay - The Birmingham News - al.com (blog) Mar 14th 2012, 20:02 During the exhilarating and theatrical display that was Fun.'s set on Saturday night, Scott Register tweeted: "Watching FUN. perform 'We Are Young' = Rock and Roll Salvation!" He couldn't have been more right.  States opened the show earlier than expected, but the crowd was more than ready for the night to begin. Their hauntingly beautiful indie pop provided the perfect introduction for what would be an incredible evening.  Kentucky's Sleeper Agent took the stage next and audience by storm with a dynamic first few songs, playing high energy indie punk with visceral guitars, drums and keys along with call and response male/female vocal delivery that occasionally melded into harmony. Especially charismatic performances came from the lead guitarist and keyboardist. They reminded of two bands in particular: 1. I immediately thought of the Kills; if that band ever decided to recruit four more members. 2. Their highly experimental sonic twists and turns made me think of Mates of States if MoS used heavier distortion and cowbell. Sleeper Agent did not endure the lack of audience participation that some opening acts face. Whether you loved them or hated them, you had to pay attention to them.  Finally, it was time for Fun. The crowd was brewing with excitement and frenzied applause and shouting rang out any time someone (including the sound techs) entered the stage. Black and white banners of F, U and N served as a countdown of sorts though the band still did not show up for another ten minutes. But when they did, everyone could not have been more thrilled.  The six members of the band entered the theatre to kick things off with the introduction to Some Nights. Each member brought an incredible energy. Lead singer and frontman Nate Ruess danced all over the stage. Andrew Dost sat confidently behind his arsenal of keyboards, delivering harmonies and lead vocals when the moment called for it. Jack Anatoff played sprawling electric and acoustic guitar riffs and solos that made you want to drive immediately to the closest music store, buy an instrument and jam out all night. The rest of the band complemented the others well. No one was still; no one was calm.  The band's 15-song set presented a well-planned mixture of songs from their newest album, Some Nights, and their riveting debut, Aim and Ignite. The highly anticipated third song, "All the Pretty Girls" was wildly appropriate and received. If you looked throughout the audience, everyone was dancing and singing along to almost every single performance. Ruess told the audience to sing as loud as possible and offered the microphone to them and led them in clapping as many chances as he could get. "Save it for later," he told the crowd after the fourth song. The night was far from over he affirmed.  The lights went out after every song, which gave a shroud of mystery to what would happen next. Video screens displaying digitized colors served as the backdrop. Fun.'s presentation was incredibly theatrical and memorable. Lyrics such as "I don't fall in love, I just fake it," "we are young," "we are invicible," "be calm" and "it gets better" echoed through the venue.  Musical catharsis ensued. Ruess asked the audience at one point: "What do you say we raise the dead in this place tonight?" The excitement in the  response was contagious.  At the end of the set, the deafining applause set the bar for an incredibly strong encore, in which Ruess graciously thanked States, Sleeper Agent, the Workplay staff and the audience. It was a night none of us would forget.  Setlist: "Intro to Some Nights," "Walking the Dog," "All The Pretty Girls," "Why Am I the One," "All Alone," "It Gets Better," "Barlights," "Carry On," "The Gambler," "Be Calm," "At Least I'm Not as Sad," "We Are Young" and "All Alright." Encore:  "One Foot" and "Take Your Time."  This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

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