fig® - Downtown Lancaster

A look at the rocking show brought to Lancaster from the LA band Fitz and The Tantrums

@ Chameleon Club – Lancaster, PA

on Tuesday November 8th, 2011

Fitz And The Tantrums w/ Walk The Moon

Perhaps it was the full moon or the temperate fall evening but the folks who packed Chameleon Club on Tuesday night were primed for a party with the LA soulsters Fitz And The Tantrums were ready to oblige. From the get go you could tell it was going to be a special evening. The room had that energy, that vibe, you could just feel that it was the place to be. By the time opener Walk The Moon started their set the place was filled to the rafters.

Walk the Moon is a crazy quartet from Cincinnati, Ohio. With a heavy accent on tribal rhythms (think The Givers or Animal Collective) and just the right amount of face paint that makes you wonder; which Ohio tribe are these dudes from? This band is starting to get some attention based on the video for their single “Anna Sun” going viral on You-Tube with close to a half million hits! The video is fun and amazing and I urge you to check it out HERE. Their set which featured an excellent cover of Fleet Foxes “White Winter Hymnal” and ended with the aforementioned “Anna Sun” was just the fuel needed to start this fire. They got an enthusiastic response from the crowd and will be one of those bands you will be telling your friends you saw open on a Tuesday night in a local club for a while!

Next up we had Michael “Fitz” Fitzpatrick. This lightning bolt shock of a man with 80’s hair and his stylish retro blazer led his Tantrums into Chameleon for what was their second visit to the venue. They played in the smaller Lizard Lounge about a year prior as a fledgling band. Now after “Moneygrabbers” becoming ubiquitous on the regional AAA Radio station WXPN, NPR and other Alternative stations, they return as the well deserved headliners with a packed house of faithful fans. They opened with the recent single ”Don’t Gotta Work It Out” and by the time they played a funky cover of the Eurythimics hit “Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)” they had put a spell on the entire crowd who followed their every command. Every chance these fans had to take dance and vocal instruction from Fitz and his sidekick Noelle Scaggs, they took it! The encore was of course ”Moneygrabbers” which had everyone on and off stage bouncing off the walls. Fitz And The Tantrums are a hard working band whose polished soul revival sound and great stage show will take them very far. It was a stellar night, one I hope to see more and more of in the near future!

To see more photos from this show see the article on Tri State Indie HERE.

Words by: The Randy Bee

Photos by: Rich McKie