Fitz and the Tantrums at Showbox SoDo: Doin' it again!

Last August, the soul/indie pop band Fitz and the Tantrums performed to a sold-out crowd at Seattle's Showbox SoDo.  I was there, and it was an energetic, amazing show.  Fast forward ten months later, and the band returned to the Showbox last week to another sell-out audience.  On my drive south to Seattle for the show, despite getting an early start, I still got caught up in rush hour AND Seattle Mariners game traffic.  The baseball game inflated parking rates around the stadium, which happened to be just a block from the venue.  Rather than waste time looking for cheaper parking, I decided to bite the bullet and selected a lot across the street from the Showbox.  As I crossed the street, I noticed two Fitz and the Tantrums tour buses parked adjacent to the building.

As I was taking photos, I spotted Fitz exiting the building and walking toward the buses.  He looked in my direction, I waved to him and Fitz waved back. At the last show, I staked a spot at the front of the stage with a friend, which was great.  This time around, I was going solo, so I decided it would be best to grab a seated vantage point in the venue's bar area.  Checking out the line in front of the building, I noted a handful of people in the main entrance line, and only one young female waiting in front of the bar entrance.  Since it was still pretty early, I decided to see if I could chat with any of the Fitz and the Tantrums band members.

Just as I rounded the corner to where the buses were parked, I saw drummer John Wicks just about to enter one of them.  I shouted out a greeting, and he walked toward me.  I had brought a drum head with me, hoping to get it autographed by John, so this was a perfect opportunity.  John graciously signed the drum head...such a nice guy!  I continued walking around the buses and standing there taking a smoke break was Fitz himself!  We talked for a little bit, and I joking asked if he had warmed up his pitching arm.  Fitz and the Tantrums were scheduled to throw out the first pitch of that night's Mariners game, and Fitz was to do the honors.

When I returned to the front of the building, the young lady was joined by her female friend.  I struck up a conversation with them, and despite the fact I was much older than they were, we quickly bonded.  After the bar opened, they invited me to join their table, which I happy accepted.  It's always more fun to attend a concert with company!  We talked about music and movies...like me, they both loved horror movies!  Even better, one of them was a fellow Washington State University alumnus, so we talked Cougar stuff, too!  When doors opened, they raised the curtains separating the music hall from the bar.  The young women had selected a table along the curtain line, so we had a good view of the stage.  The two opening acts, holy child and Max Frost were basically time killers...none of us liked them very much. Sometimes, that's the way the cookie crumbles!

 

It turns out neither one of my table mates had ever seen Fitz and the Tantrums perform live, so I assured them that they were in for a treat.  When the band took the stage, they started things off with a bang and never looked back.  The music and energetic vocals were simply awesome, and the light displays were even better than last year's concert.  Here are some pics and the set list for the night.

 

 

Get Away

Don't Gotta Work It Out

Break The Walls

Keepin' Our Eyes Out

Spark

Merry Go Round

Sweet Dreams (Eurythmics cover)

Out Of My League

House On Fire

Fools Gold

Last Raindrop

6AM

Tell Me What Ya Here For

LOV

Encore

Moneygrabber

The Walker

After the concert, my table mates were just blown away...they LOVED it!  I'm sure it would be the first of many future Fitz and the Tantrums shows for them.  It was after 11:30 pm, but I didn't want to leave without saying goodbye to my friend Joe, the bass player.  I staked out a spot along the barricade near the buses along with about a dozen other fans.  First to come out was Fitz, who took the time to talk, take pics and sign autographs for everyone there.  I got a hug from Fitz, and I told him, as usual, I thoroughly enjoyed the show.  One by one, the other band members came out.  I got a high five from keyboardist Jeremy Ruzumna and chatted with saxophone guy, James King.  It was almost 1:00 am when Joe finally showed up.  We exchanged a few words...it's always so nice to see him...and after a goodbye hug, I made my long drive back home.  I would have loved to stay to see Noelle Scaggs, but it was pretty late.  Hopefully, I'll see her at the next Fitz and the Tantrums concert, and there WILL be more for me.  Watching them perform live is almost addicting...I just can't get enough. 

Fitz and the Tantrums: Fun times at Star 101.5 Star Stage

Last week, one of my favorite bands Fitz and the Tantrums visited the Pacific Northwest for a series of shows.  I had the good fortune of not only attending their scheduled concert at the Showbox SoDo, but also scored a ticket to a live radio show.  When it comes to radio station contests, most of the time you have to listen in during live broadcasts and call or text in at designated times.  That counts me out because I'm usually at work during the day and I'm not allowed such frivolous activities.  Plus, my flip phone makes texting rather a chore, not that I text anyway...that's right, I don't have a smartphone.  But, occasionally, radio stations allow members of their listener clubs to just submit their email address to enter contests.  That was the case with the Fitz and the Tantrums show, and I was ecstatic when I became one of the lucky winners.

The show was sponsored by Star 101.5 FM radio station in Seattle.  This was my first time attending such an event, not counting the 101.9 KINK FM Bing Lounge show I went to in Portland, OR back in 2010.  Yeah, I also scored a ticket for that radio show, but it was just attending a live performance...nothing more.  The Star Stage show was a little more involved. Attendees were treated to a box lunch before the show, which was was nice.

I chatted with a lady who was there with her daughter.  Like myself, she was also quite familiar with Fitz and the Tantrums.  I found it especially interesting that she had actually seen Five For Fighting perform on Star Stage several years ago.  I would have loved to see THAT show, but alas, I was not so lucky back then.  After lunch, myself along with about 50 other people made our way next door to the Star Stage.  I got a front row seat, but really, every seat had a great view of the stage. 

For the day's show, only three members of the band would be performing.  Star 101.5's morning disc jockeys Kent Phillips and Alan Budwill introduced vocalists Michael "Fitz" Fitzpatrick and Noelle Scaggs and guitarist Joe Karnes.  I've known Joe since 2010 when he toured with Five For Fighting.  As Fitz and the others took the stage, Joe spotted me in the front row and gave me a little wave.  Normally, Joe plays bass, but in this particular setting, he brought his acoustic guitar.

 

Fitz, Noelle and Joe played three songs...The Walker, Out Of My League and their new single, Fools Gold.  The songs are all off their recent album release, More Than Just A Dream.  It was great watching them perform in such an intimate setting.

After the show, there was a quick meet and greet.  Everyone got a brief moment and a photo with the band.  I got a hug from Joe AND Fitz, who said he remembered me from the last time they were in Seattle for a concert.  

In addition to the photo op, everyone got an autographed Fitz and the Tantrums picture provided by the radio station.  In all, it was a wonderful experience, and a fitting preview of the upcoming full band concert.  Thanks Star 101.5!