New York City band fun. lived up to their name while playing to a sold-out crowd at the Ogden Theater Thursday night. Following the incredible popularity of their single, “We Are Young,” from their new album, “Some Nights,” the band embarked on a nationwide tour, which came to Colorado for three sold-out shows. On that tour, only eleven shows are not sold out.
“It is great to be in this place like this,” said Nate Reuss, lead singer of the pop group, fun., during the concert.
Following a riveting performance by opener Sleeper Agent, fun. took the stage, inciting deafening applause from the audience. Jumping right into their new album’s title track, fun. pumped up the energy in the room. Reuss’ voice soared above a pounding bass drum and marching snares, as the rest of the band backed him up.
Thursday night at the Ogden Theater in Denver, fun. performed songs to promote their recent album, "Some Nights." The band is currently on a nation wide tour and has three sold out shows in Colorado. (CU Independent/Patrick Fork)
fun. quickly followed up with a fan favorite, “Walking the Dog.” The bright guitar riff laid down by Jack Antonoff started off the catchy, syncopated tune.
After the quick, three song opening jam, fun. took a break to rile up the crowd.
They played a few more songs from “Some Nights,” then featured a few songs from their first album, “Aim and Ignite,” and “All the Pretty Girls,” with its three-part harmony chorus and intro was a crowd favorite.
Through the rest of their set, Reuss’ trademark grin never left his face. Antonoff played his class guitar riffs, and Andrew Dost filled in the rest with his piano and flugelhorn.
The next night at the Fox Theater, fun. started with a bit of a different flavor. Rather than starting off with a new hit song, the band reached back and played through “Walking the Dog” and “At Least I’m Not as Sad (As I Used to Be)” from “Aim and Ignite.”
After an astounding performance of “All Alone,” which Reuss described as, “a song about falling in love with an inanimate object,” a fight broke out in the crowd. Reuss chided the instigator from the stage.
“We don’t fight at shows; not a fun. show,” Reuss said. “You just look at the guy next to you and eventually you hug them.”
In a short break in the set, the members took time to tell the crowd how much they loved the week they had spent in Colorado, including their recent indoor skydiving exploits. They also pointed out the presence of weed at every show, noting that was like, “all of the parties none of us were invited to in high school. It is like reliving a part of our lives.”
Following an acoustic performance of “The Gambler,” the rest of the band came on stage to finish the end of “Some Nights (Intro)” and rolled into “Some Nights” to end their set.
After leaving the stage for a few minutes, fun. made their triumphant return to finish off the night with an encore. The fantastic “Take Your Time (Coming Home)” finished off the set. Reuss reminded the crowd to, “be cool” and, “hug that guy you hugged earlier.”
The band put on an incredible show with sheer energy they built up in the audience staggering. It is clear to any viewer that they truly enjoy what they do. Although the Ogden show was a bit stronger and more energetic than the Fox, those who were at the Ogden the previous night were not disappointed.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Patrick Fort at patrick.fort@colorado.edu.
1 comment
I wonder if any of the people at these concerts knew any of the songs besides “we are young”