Fitz and the Tantrums live at The Vic with opener Ax and the Hatchetmen.
An undeniably upbeat August night at The Vic.
Early this July, I woke up to a familiar email heading: [firebirdmag] Invite. A classic sight in my inbox as a writer for the well-connected magazine, especially in the summer months. Typically, I give these concert invite emails a quick scan and realize that I am either: (a) not stoked about the artist, (b) cannot make it to the gig, or (c) both. But this time was different. Fitz and the Tantrums, August 7th, The Vic. I figured, hey, I’ve always been a fan of “Out of My League,” The Vic’s right around the corner from me, and I don’t have any plans. Let’s see if anyone beats me to the email reply.
To my surprise, I was the first writer to express interest in the concert, meaning the opportunity was all mine. I lived out the rest of my lovely July keeping busy with my internship, spending time with friends, making travel plans, and the like. It was a wonderful month and, to be frank, the upcoming concert was not top of mind. As the first week of August arrived, though, the July high I had been riding was suddenly in a steep decline with friends moving away, work deadlines setting in, and general late-summer scaries bubbling up. With the seventh of the month close at hand, I began recruiting friends to join me for the show. Things were looking dire, but at the last moment, my best friend Haley pulled through.
Haley and I arrived at The Vic unsure of what to expect, especially since we had no clue who the opener was. To our pleasant surprise, it was Ax and the Hatchetmen, a Chicago group we had heard a few times before on our favorite local radio station: 93XRT. The band had a youthful, playful energy—laid back, but not unpolished. While there might not have been an Ax t-shirt in sight amongst the sea of Tantrums merch worn by the somewhat older crowd, the audience seemed to enjoy the opener’s indie/alternative tunes and upbeat presence. But it wasn’t until Fitz and the Tantrums took the stage that people really got going.
Now, do I like Fitz and the Trantrums? Yes, definitely. Do I have their discography memorized? Definitely not. But let me tell you, the people around me did. Haley and I were surrounded by some absolute superfans. One die-hard fan in the crowd caught my attention: a 50-something-year-old woman with a shaved, bleached head who seemed to know every word to every song and flaunted some epic dance moves to go along with each. The audience was roaring the entire time, even when the band played tunes from their newest album, Man on the Moon, which had dropped just a few days before the show. And, finally, when Fitz and the Tantrums played their hits like “Hand Clap” and “Out of My League,” Haley and I were able to at least approach the level of the folks around us, who welcomed our enthusiasm with warm smiles as they carried on dancing.
On stage, Fitz and the Tantrums were some of the most unified performers I’ve seen. Their entire act was perfectly in sync, causing the artists to feel more like a family than a band. It was unmistakably clear that they’ve been writing and performing together for quite some time. The vocals were shockingly crisp and instrumentals—especially the saxophone—were as professional as they come. Overall, the night’s energy was fantastic, albeit a bit millennial (sorry). The vibe certainly wasn’t edgy or outside the box, but not everything needs to be.
It was just an undeniably positive vibe, which I needed even more than I had realized at that point in my summer. Fitz and the Tantrums put on a show that conveyed not only how much they love making music, but also how much they love the community they’ve assembled around it. Happy music makes people happy. Sometimes it really is that simple.
edited by Arjun Bhakoo.
photo by James Tiks.
