I Just Read About That…

[ATTENDED: March 26, 2017] Foxygen

I really loved Foxygen’s album We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic.  The whole thing is great–retro and modern at the same time with a great sense of theatrics.  They recently put out a new album Hang, which is also retro (touching on nearly every era–disco, big band, swing, rock and even (apparently) a concept.  I’ve been really enjoying Hang (although I prefer Ambassadors still).

I had also heard that their live shows were crazy, so I thought it would be a great theatrical show.  (Before they came out I was delighted by the keyboard tech’s shirt that sat Not My President with shaking hands (one hand was a snake biting the other).

So I was a little surprised to see that there were no theatrics at all–no props or elaborate anything.  Well, except for lead singer and center of attention Sam France.  The show opened with Jonathan Rado sitting behind the piano and then the rest of the band coming out.  There was a three-piece horn section, drums, bass (which was mixed waaaay too loud in the first half of the show–why don’t sound people recognize that right away?) and then a second keyboardist/guitarist. ( I can’t find names for anybody).

I knew that the band was playing all of Hang in order on this tour, so I was surprised that they opened with “We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic.”  But it was a great way to open.  And then Sam France came out and grabbed everyone’s attention.  He is a wonderfully odd frontman.  He struts and poses like Mick Jagger.  He engages totally with the audience.  He dances, he does all manner of dramatic motions.  He’s quite fun.  I wasn’t always sure if he was singing on key but it didn’t really matter (and the album’s vocals are intentionally wacky anyhow).

Then he announced Jackie Cohen who stood up front and did backing vocals (and dances).  And it was perfect for “San Francisco” (with the great backing vocal: “that’s okay, I was bored anyway/that’s okay, I was born in L.A.”).  The crowd, (including the two crazy tall guys who forced their way right in front of me) were really digging it.  And then, surprisingly, they played “Shuggie,” which I think of as their biggest hit (at least that was the first single I’d heard).  I couldn’t imagine what they would play next.

Well, that’s when they started to played Hang.  And it really sounded great.  The time changes, the genres, the weirdness was all handled perfectly.  The songs sounded perfect (and the tall guys had moved around a bit) and I was really enjoying everything.  And then in the middle of “America” France and Cohen sprinted off stage.  “America” is the longest song on the album with a cool middle section that plays with time changes–piano and then a rocking section, and then organ and a rocking section and then horns (the brass section was really crucial to the whole performance).  It also allowed Rado to play some wild solos just before France and Cohen returned to finish the song.

Cohen had on a black vest over her white dress and France was now wearing a suit jacket and dress shirt (well, he was still putting it on anyhow).  They finished the song and then continued with the rest of the album.  For “On Lankershim,” France grabbed and strummed an acoustic guitar–no idea if it was audible at all.

“Trauma” in particular sounded great with Cohen’s backing vocals.  And “Rise Up” allowed Rado another chance to wail.  And while he was wailing France and Cohen left the stage.  The rest of the band finished rocking out and then walked off.  Rado left his guitar against his amp allowing squeals of feedback to ring out throughout the encore break.

After a break they all came back (France had removed his jacket).  France was very chatty, thanking us over and over for coming out and commenting on the coolness of the venue.  He asked if it was formerly a church, but someone eventually told him it was a train station (that is not technically true: the building originally opened in 1889 as the Spring Garden Farmer’s Market. From 1918 to 1942 the building was changed to the Union Transfer Baggage Express Co., where bags and other items were kept in storage for the railway company, but close enough).

Although France was the center of attention, it was Rado who was doing so much.  During one of the songs (who can remember which one), he grabbed his guitar, played a bit, sat down at the piano, guitar still strapped on, played a bit then stood up and played the guitar some more.

The first set had only been around 35 minutes.  But after the encore break they played four more songs (not exactly a second set but more than a one song encore anyhow.  They played a few more songs from Ambassadors, which was awesome.  The crowd (and those tall guys were way off to the middle by now) went bonkers for “On Blue Mountain.”  It’s a really wonderful song but I had no idea it was such a fan favorite.  They followed it up with a song from their debut album (!), “Make It Known.”  I don’t know the album, but it fit in perfectly with the rest of the music–theatrical and everything.

Somewhere during this section it appeared that France hit himself in the mouth with the microphone and that he may have been bleeding–he kept checking his mouth with his hand.  So he grabbed a towel and held it to his face and then he wiped his face with it and put it over his head for a few lines.  And then he threw it into the crowd (that’s a pretty gross souvenir but whatever).

Then we all went nuts when they started playing “No Destruction”  He encouraged much singing along especially to the “smoke pot in the subway” part.  And they ended with “How Can You really” from Star Power, the sprawling album that I’ve only listened to online.  At some point France grabbed a trumpet and was just blaring it into the microphone.  And then the song ended and he said goodbye.

It may not have been the psychedelic spectacle I imagined, but it was still a great show.  The band sounded wonderful, the crowd was into it, and we all had a good ol’ time.

SETLIST (and I am sure of this because on my way out, the lighting guy basically handed me his setlist with instructions for lights.  So that’s a pretty cool souvenir (better than a sweaty towel, frankly).

• We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic
• San Francisco
• Shuggie
• Follow the Leader
• Avalon
• Mrs. Adams
• America
• On Lankershim
• Upon a Hill
• Trauma
• Rise Up
• encore
• On Blue Mountain
• Make It Known
• No Destruction
• How Can You Really