That Buzzing Sound: Showcase: Fun. @ The Wiltern (08/17/12)

Some Nights are Fun indeed, #afterthebreak…

Fun. & Chiddy Bang At The Wiltern Theatre

08/17/12

Fun. Yup. That word will be overused by the time I finish. Surprisingly, pretty much sums this showcase. Is that what you expected me to say after seeing Fun perform the first of their three sold out shows at the legendary Wiltern Friday night? A huge accomplishment for any band. For who doesn’t know this song? I’m partial when it comes on just before last call. For breaking as many records as Fun has. They deserve to celebrate with their fellow crazy Los Angelians for a whole weekend. The snow like confetti & flamboyant balloons were a nice touch.

Felt bad for Chiddy Bang. They had to warm up the very tween, rollin’ with the old folks, with a sprinkle of ‘guys who were dragged by their girlfriends’ sort of audience that their indie rap sounds doesn’t really compliment. You should’ve seen the strange bunch of ‘fun’ fangirls in my vicinity with “Who are these guys?” was written on their faces. Had to cover my mouth from laughing the fifth time they told us, “get you’re hands up!” to no avail. Felt so bad. The standout moment was their impromptu “whose line is anyway” freestyle combining various audience picked words. Cool, I know, but I wasn’t on a cruise ship waiting for the buffet to open. It was the legendary Wiltern and that was the best they could do? Really? Still go out and cop ‘Ray Charles‘.

When the lights went out, Fun. appeared to a thunderous ovation. The only shocking thing, besides Nate Ruess’ simply powerful voice, was finding out that they had another record before the operatic ‘Some Nights’. Half the songs on the setlist [see below] were from this mysterious first album — 2009’s “Aim & Ignite”. Blended together well. Still like my favorites (Carry On & Some Nights). The band as whole felt like I was watching a bunch of friends rocking out while Nate’s voice almost took the house down.

Fun. is pop. Very 80s, Prince/Queen/Stones, vibrant pop. They even covered the Rolling Stone’s “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” on our night. So, if you can’t tolerate that sort of music …this show wouldn’t have been for you. What made me want to by the ticket? Hype. Knew this was going to be a one of those overly blogged about events of the summer and wanted to be apart. Wish I could write more, but it wasn’t very memorable. There was no moment that made me say, “oh my god! That was amazing”. Overall, solid performance with catchy pop songs. Afraid by the end of the year I’ll barely remember the short burst of fun that occurred on this night.

As a photographer, very proud of the pictures below. Standing close to 30 feet away wasn’t half bad because of all the lights. In my three times never seen the Wiltern stage look so good. Use to acoustic rockers with bare minimum equipment, low lights, and miles of space. Set the bar for future acts. This was a showcase less about music and more about pictures. And these pictures are FUN! [last pun, I promise…]

Thank you to the Wiltern, the band called Fun, and Chiddy Bang for giving me another story to tell. The pictures are yours to share. Again, if you see typos…my bad.

-J

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