Foster the People Concert Review

I hadn't been to a concert in a really long time and just got an itch to go to a show. One of the bands I like best at the moment is Foster the People, so I decided to see when they would be playing. Turned out they were going to be in Philadelphia on one of the days I was going to be home on vacation. Dare I say fate? I bought two tickets hoping another FTP fan would want to go. Happy to say that my friend, Caswell, was totally on board. 

The concert was at the Mann Center in north Philly. If you haven't been there before, it's an outdoor venue; however, the stage and most of the seats are covered by a big wooden roof. There are lawn seats atop a hill that look down on the stage, but if it's bad weather, you're out of luck. Can't say any of the seats really offer a bad view. Just depends on how close you want to be to the stage. They have $15 parking available right at the venue. You're better off parking at a Lowe's shopping center two blocks away, though. It's free and there's way less traffic getting out after the show. Overall, I'd give the venue a B+ with a less than stellar sound quality being its major drawback. As far as atmosphere goes, you can't do much better.

Disclaimer: I apologize for the poor quality of the pictures. Everything was taken from my phone. You're not allowed to bring cameras into the Mann. They let you take photos/videos with your phone, though. Go figure....

Philadelphia skyline from on top of the hill at the Mann Center

Foster the People was preceded by Kimbra and Tokyo Police Club. I knew a few songs from each artist going in that I liked, so I was excited to hear them both. Kimbra came on stage in a rainbow colored poncho. While she was pretty upbeat, her performance didn't contain any sort of dancing which you might be used to if you've seen some of her music videos. She did some work with the tambourine on virtually all of her songs. Audience interaction was limited. Granted, most people weren't in their seats at that point in the show. Her act was done after six songs. She was obviously trying. Her real fan base is down in New Zealand/Australia, and it was apparent most people didn't care too much about her. That might change within the next year or so. Grade: B

Kimbra

Tokyo Police Club came on after Kimbra. They're a high energy indie rock band from Canada. Most of their songs are just simple guitar hooks, but they can be pretty catchy. Audience participation was big with them. They got the audience to clap to a few of their songs, and the keyboardist got people to make some noise by dancing around the stage. When they were playing, it was a good show. When they weren't...different story. The lead singer spoke to the audience a couple times and sounded completely retarded. It could've been because he was drunk, or maybe he's just that dumb. In any case, what the band lacked in quality music/dialogue, they made up for in enthusiasm. Grade: B

Me with David Toms and Graham Wright of Tokyo Police Club

So finally, Foster the People came on. It took awhile. They might've been waiting for it to get completely dark for the best stage effects. Whatever the reason, it was worth the wait. Mark Foster strutted out in a white suit, while this gigantic prop sun made crazy facial expression and lit up in the background.

Sun prop w/ Foster the People

The lights and effects were amazing throughout which included a demon like figure coming out from a doorway in the middle of the sun to shine spotlights down or blow bubbles. Foster continually showcased his dance moves while two guys pounded on the drums like mad men. When it was all said and done, they had played all of Torches, three new songs, and the catchy compilation, Warrior, for which they brought Kimbra back on stage to sing. There was a never a dull moment with Foster the People. If you like their music, they're a must see live. Grade: A+