And on behalf of texters and tweeters everywhere, this is my message to the band: capitalize the F and drop the punctuation. Look what eliminating the "!" from their name got Panic at the Disco - an outraged fanbase. Nevermind, don't use them as the standard. But still, make it easier for us, your fans, to tell people about you!
Fun played at Warehouse Live this past Tuesday night in Houston, and by the time the forgettable opening act was done and the roadies had set up the stage and tuned the instruments, the place was packed. How many of the audience in attendance knew more than Fun's hit single "We Are Young"? I don't know, but I'd venture to say that that song by itself attracted more than a few people.
On the subject of "We Are Young", this is the first concert I have been to where the band has had a song that is currently tearing up radio waves and accumulating millions of YouTube hits. Watching the faces of the band when they played the song, finally succumbing to the audience's most anxiously-awaited part of the show, was interesting. Each member seemed tired of the song, but pleased that the crowd was enjoying the experience so much and knew every word. From comments made by lead singer Nate Ruess earlier in the show, the large crowds and general fame is a new experience for the band as a whole, so I'm happy for them that they're getting the true "rockstar treatment".
From the second the band walked onto the stage and the lights blared on, the whole concert was incredible. The lead singer, Ruess (don't worry, I have no idea how to pronounce that either), drove the whole show's tempo and feel, and from start to finish did a masterful job of it. The first bunch of songs were all high-energy and made the crowd dance and sing along with the band.
Ruess doesn't play any instruments during the show, and I was curious how it would affect the on-stage chemistry of the band. For most shows that I have been to, the lead singer plays some sort of guitar, and is therefore tied down to the front-and-center position on the stage. However, given his freedom of movement, Ruess basically was the bridge between the band's wall of sound and the crowd, and he shined in the midst of that collision.
The star of the show was obviously and utterly Nathaniel Ruess. While watching him perform, I had (what I thought was) an original comparison: this man is the closest I will ever see to Freddie Mercury. Fun's lead singer, much like the legendary mouthpiece of the Arena-Rock-Mount-Rushmore band Queen, has a voice like a canary, acts out the lyrics and emotions of the songs while he is singing on-stage, and has songs that are so dramatic that they deserve makeup and a cast to do them justice. However, the comparison between Ruess and Mercury is so common and well-documented that it is even featured on Ruess' wikipedia page. So much for an "original" idea.
The biggest surprise of the show was Fun's guitarist, Jack Antonoff. He was a ball of energy, shined in each solo he got to wail on, and looked like a mix between Ross Geller (Friends) and Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino to boot.
All in all, Fun was a lot of, well, fun! Their tour is just starting up, and if you get a chance to see them, I would highly recommend going to see them!
