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.