CONCERT REVIEW: Foster The People @StageAE

Review and photos Ed Thompson

Foster The People hit the stage at Pittsburgh’s Stage AE like an atomic bomb went off. And the residue that fell from the entrance set the pace for the rest of the show. They came out bright and strong with the incredible opening song S.H.C. followed by 5 or 6 songs more great songs to really tear the roof off the indoor show at Stage AE. Lead singer Mark Foster hit the stage running so to say and never stopped all night. Mark and his bandmates literally play so many different keyboards and keyboard components you really have to watch where they’re going or you can lose track of where they’re at. Foster came out playing the guitar and singing and then hit two different keyboards before the third song was over.

Foster opened the show with S.H.C. And incredible and very rhythmic song. It really got the very anxious younger Pittsburgh crowd up on their feet and screaming. And I do mean screaming. The transition into Helena Beat and then Life on the Nickel and subsequently Pay The Man was great. No, incredible. And honestly, I was so into the songs and the band’s musicianship I was witnessing in front of me on the stage, I couldn’t believe that they were already on the 5^th song and cruising through their long set list. There is so much going on in front of you at a Foster The People’s concert that you can honestly lose track of the fun you are having. In a good way that is. Their music and musicianship of ALL the band members are mesmerizing. You literally get sucked into the show that they’re putting on. Lead singer Mark Foster is an incredible front man. He controls the crowd and keeps them right where he wants them the entire show.

Waste, Psuedologia Fantasia and Doing It The Money was again smooth and effortless. Very little talking between songs and continuing to transition from one song to the next in a keeps the fun and more importantly current mood going. The crowd never stopped dancing or wanting more. And only on the 9^th song, Foster kept giving. Are You What You Want to be was incredible. It was one of the songs I wanted to see and hear live. Don’t Stop (Color on the Walls) was another song I was looking forward to hearing and it was actually right after Are You What You Want To Be ironically. And they didn’t disappoint on either.

The heart of the show was a combo of songs that again went right along with each other. Lotus Eater, A Beginners Guide to Destroying The Moon, Coming of Age and Sit Next to Me never let the crowd sway far from keeping their interested where the band wanted it. On them and their show. In a lot of today’s shows, there often are songs in the middle of the set that only a few fans want to hear sometimes. Or more so, only the “hardcore faithful’s” that know every song. But with this show, Foster kept the crowd going from start to finish. No one went for a drink or a bathroom break.

Sit Next to Me and the powerful and band’s anthem Pumped Up Kick’s was flawless and really a high point in the show. It pointed the show in the right direction and with Broken Jaw followed by the set-ending song Miss You, it really left the crowd in complete awe. Again, I must reiterate on this band’s musicianship. And more so during a “LIVE” show. Every tune, note, and sound you hear on their albums is EXACTLY what you hear LIVE and in concert. It’s incredible. And truthfully, there is, even more, notes in the live shows. It’s a concert that I recommend anyone and everyone go and see. You’ll leave the show buzzing and wanting more and probably buying a Foster The People song or two from iTunes waiting in traffic trying to get home.

But the show still wasn’t over and we are approaching the 20^th song of the night. The band came back out for a three-song encore that truly put that exclamation mark on the night for me. Fire Escape was the perfect song to come back out to and get the crowd excited for more. Smooth and mellow sure, but flawless and meaningful even more. Incredible song to come out to for an encore. Vocals by Foster on Fire Escape were flawless. The transition into Houdini was nicely done. Another powerful and great song added to an already long list of great songs. And add one more to that list with a great concert closer Call It What You Want. Again, the musicianship and playing of multiple keyboards really put this song at the tops of my favorites for the night. Foster’s vocals are a given. No need to say much more about that. He’s smooth, strong and vocally privileged to be able to run through a set like he did here in Pittsburgh and does just about every night on a long tour.

All in all, an incredible night of musicianship and great music and lyrics. It’s a concert I’ll put on my list of concerts I was to cover in the future for sure. Mark Foster and Foster The People delivered tonight in Pittsburgh. And then some.