Fitz and the Tantrums take The Fillmore back to the last days of disco

Fitz and the Tantrums | photo by Ben Wong for WXPN | brotherlylost.com

With kaleidoscopic disco lights and a neon-lit stage setup very reminiscent of the movie Tron, the sound that Fitz and the Tantrums brought to The Fillmore on November 12th was everything but futuristic.

Sticking to a performance of energetic pop funk and jazzy Soul Train vibes, the Los Angeles based band came out to the stage in full dance mode opening with “Get Right Back,” the perfect intro that set the scene for a night of crowd involvement. The chemistry between lead singer Michael Fitzpatrick and singer-percussionist Noelle Scaggs would be intimidating on any dance floor. The two vocalists did not stop moving the entire night, taking frequent pauses from singing to break into choreographed dance numbers while saxophonist, James King and drummer, John Wicks transformed songs like “Complicated” and “L.O.V.” into clap-heavy jam sessions.

Although the band’s newest self-titled album is less retro-soul and more sounds of boisterous pop mixed with melancholy, the vigor is still there and bleeds together with the older material while performed live. The combined presence of the baselines from Joseph Karnes and the synth sounds of James Ruzumna are more balanced than ever and strongly stood out during “Do What You Want” and “Walking Target” giving a Talking Heads meets Tears for Fears energy.

After returning for an encore with their latest single, “HandClap” a song that depicts the theme of the latest album and the drive of their whole performance, the band finished the eighteen-song set with “6AM” and lastly “The Walker” while confetti showered the crowd. With the ever popular electronic remix-y direction that a lot of pop music is embracing this year, Fitz and the Tantrums continues to show loyalty to their audience, still giving that funky Motown neo-soul that fans of all ages can dance and sing along to regardless of decade.

Below, check out a gallery of photos from the show, as well as fan videos by YouTube user silversun1100.