Words and Photos by Alder Boutin
Fitz and The Tantrums are a well-oiled machine nearly 17 years in the making, and their comfortable familiarity with performance showed at Harrisburg’s XL Live. Drummer John Wicks’ sticks seemed to direct his body rather than the other way around; keyboardist Jeremy Ruzumna seldom needed to look down to know where his fingers should tap. Singer Noelle Scaggs’ arms floated above her head as she danced with her tambourine, making her appear larger than life. Aside from her rich harmonies with Michael Fitzpatrick and the band’s full-bodied instrumental accents, they sounded just like their studio recordings.
The indie pop band drew an audience of all ages. A young girl and her father fed off each other’s enthusiasm in the front row; a young boy wielded a hand-drawn “It’s My First Concert!” poster broader than he was tall. Toward the back of the pit, an older couple jumped together next to a side-stepping gentleman in a bowler hat that matched saxophonist James King’s.
Before playing “I Just Wanna Shine,” Fitzpatrick pulled a stool onto the stage while Scaggs asked the crowd to put their lights up. “This is for all the fireflies in the room,” she explained. Fitzpatrick asked, “you see those signs on the speakers that say ‘WATCH YOUR HEAD’?” as he settled onto the stool with an acoustic guitar. The bold papers, hanging from bright neon tape, were pretty hard to miss. I had been wondering what incident must have taken place to warrant the alert. “Last night,” Fitzpatrick continued, “I might have run pretty hard into those things and gave myself a concussion.” He was taking it easy – hence the stool – but still wanted to give the audience a great show, which he and his band undoubtedly did.
Philadelphia’s SNACKTIME got the audience hyped with their soul and energy before Fitz and The Tantrums. The end of “Smokin’ Drinkin’ Talkin’ Shit” blended seamlessly into a lively cover of Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us.” SNACKTIME then introduced each of the seven band members and their hometowns with a memorable description. For instance, bassist Sam Gellerstein was not only the “mayor of Philly,” but also the “distant cousin of Jason Kelce.”
“Look to the person to your left and to your right,” lead singer Nico Bryant instructed the audience before “Together.” “No matter who it is, I want you to treat them 5% better – whether it’s your ex, or your mom, or your dad…. There’s lots of people on this planet who want us to hate each other, who want to pull us apart, but we won’t lose, okay Harrisburg?” He also started an audience call and response during the final lines, “I got you and you got me.” After realizing they had time for one more song, SNACKTIME returned to the stage with a well-received encore of Prince’s “Purple Rain.”
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