Fitz and the Tantrums came to Boston this weekend for a pair of back to back shows at the House Of Blues, in Fenway’s silent shadow. The opener, Big Data, got the crowd warmed up and involved, playing a fun set. The audience was on time, and showed up to hear them play, and were in peak mood when the Tantrums hit the stage.
The band came out, backlit by a large neon heart logo from the most recent record, More Than Just A Dream, and launched into “Get Away,” followed by an energetic, strong performance of “Don’t Gotta Work It Out.”
Next up was a great performance of “Break The Walls,” as well as clean runs through “Breakin’ The Chains Of Love” and “Keepin Our Eyes Out.” “Spark” saw the light up bracelets handed out at the door come to full use. The bracelets reacted to clapping, and sudden wrist movements, so the band had the audience doing a quick rhythmic clap to lead into the song.
After a solid run at “MerryGoRound,” the Tantrums pulled out “Sweet Dreams” by The Eurythmics, which saw the crowd go nuts, and the band totally killed it. “Out Of My League” followed, presented as a tribute to the crowd.
“House On Fire” and “Fool’s Gold” were both high energy performances, followed up by a lovely rendition of “Last Raindrop.” Uneventful, but well played renditions of “6am” and “Tell Me What Ya Here For” were next up, before a big ‘ol saxaphone solo into the set closer “L.O.V.”
The band encored with two of their best known songs, an excellent “MoneyGrabber” and an equally high energy “The Walker,” which was a great way to end a great, high intensity show. The group sounded good, if a little shaky on a few harmonies, but otherwise pretty spot on. The main issue fans likely had with the show is that, for anyone who attended the previous night’s sellout show, the setlist was identical in every way.
Overall, Fitz And The Tantrums delivered on a reputation for a fun, lively show, and are absolutely worth checking out when they’re in your area next!