On this absolutely beautiful almost-fall (but feels like fall) evening at Iroquois Amphitheater, we took in the sights and sounds of Foster the People. Lead by vocalist Mark Foster, the band has been a staple in the indie-pop world since their inception in 2009. Even if you don’t know the words or don’t even recognize the songs, Foster’s energy and persona – combined with the double percussion sets, various other instruments, and intricate light display – is enough to ensure you have a great time seeing them.
This was a show Beaver did not want to miss either, adding, “I figured out why I like them – they clearly love sci-fi and sounds of sci-fi…all of their interludes that resembled sounds of a theremin were the best part.” (Now, we have mentioned several times over the years that while we enjoy music, we are not musicians by any means, so naturally I had to look up what a theremin was, and discovered that it’s basically magic? How have I not heard of this before!?) Anyway, the three of us were clearly not alone in our admiration of the band’s musical talents, considering the sizable crowd that filled up the outdoor venue.
One last note. I’m sitting here writing this a few weeks after the show, and upon a simple Google search of the band’s name, I discovered that FTP was just playing at Charlotte on Monday night, following the Las Vegas shooting attack. I watched the video of Mark Foster’s monologue before playing John Lennon’s “Love,” where he advocated for showing more love and humanity toward one another in the wake of all of the terrible humanitarian crises happening around the world right now. It was a similar message at the Iroquois show, but with the Vegas attack having just happened the night before this one, Foster & the band decided against playing their popular hit, “Pumped Up Kicks.” He told the audience, “It felt wrong for us tonight to play ‘Pumped Up Kicks.’ It felt like it would’ve been irreverent, even though that song is about gun violence and stopping that” (watch the video below). Though I’m sure the audience was disappointed not to hear that song, I fully support and applaud Foster the People for making that statement, and for making sure their fans hear that message. Honestly, we can’t hear it enough.
-Brittany
For more photos from the evening, check out our Flickr album:
Live Music Louisville 