Photos and review by NOTES FROM VIVACE
LOS ANGELES – Future Islands arrived at the Shrine Auditorium in support of their seventh studio album, People Who Aren’t There Anymore. The music was written during the pandemic. It is about a long distance breakup that lead singer Samuel Herring went through, which was at least largely due to COVID-19 and the inability to travel.
As the band walked on stage, the crowd rose to their collective feet. The synth-pop band favorites started their set with the two opening tracks from the new album, King of Sweden and The Tower. Fans rushed towards the Shrine’s stage and security tried to remove people who were out of place, but that proved unsuccessful.
Herring put on a dynamic performance throughout the 2-hour set. There were more than a few punches into the air. At times, he’d whirl around to the point where one had to wonder why he didn’t just fall over from dizziness. When he wasn’t whirling or giving the air a punch, he was dancing across the stage. There was a sparkle in his eyes that just showed his joy of performing before the adoring crowd. You can tell he adores his fan base. When one particular fan jumped on stage and was dragged off stage by security, Herring could be heard saying, “It’s cool. It’s cool. It’s fine.” After the song “Ran,” he tapped his heart and pointed to the audience.
Fans took a cue from Herring and also danced the night away. Some did an awkwardly bad dance, others did the too cool for school dance, and some stood up on the seats. And well, as mentioned, some tried to take their dancing skills to the stage, which lasted for only a few moments. The crowd also showered the band with some of the loudest and long lasting cheers that you’ll hear during any concert. A perfect example of this is the song “Seasons (Waiting On You).” For the song, the crowd was encouraged to take out their phones and take video. Then at the end, the cheers were endless, perhaps lasting a good minute. Herring stood in the middle of the stage and took in the praise.
There were plenty of highlights from the set. The song “Plastic Beach” has the lyrics “Spent a lifetime in the mirror. Always afraid of what someone else would say.” Herring emphasized the lyrics by miming the tearing off of a mask. “Give Me The Ghost Back” had a spooky Vincent Price sound that seems like a perfect fit for giving chills to kids looking for candy on Halloween. For “Shadows,” Olivia Rose of the opening band Oh, Rose joined for a duet. The lights team took the opportunity to focus on keyboardist Gerrit Welmers, which cast a large shadow across the rear stage curtains. Herring had a joke for “The Thief” ready. “When I was a kid, I would break into houses . . . . I’m reformed now, you can trust me.”
The band kept the most rousing portion of their set for the encores, entertaining the crowd with songs from their first two albums. This was an old-fashioned encore. The band waited backstage for perhaps five minutes while the crowd did not let up on their cheers to bring the band back.
On stage, there was a prop door, which glowed in white. Out walked three members of the band (the keyboardist had his set-up above the door). “We’ll play two songs for you.” The first was “Inch of Dust” that had the floors of the Shrine shaking. The trick song was “Tin Man.” A trick song, because it wasn’t the last song of the night. “We’ll play one more song.” “Vireo’s Eye” had the band encouraging, “Dance with us one last time. I want to see what you’ve f*cking got!!!”
The Oh, Rose band came out on stage and showed the crowd how to dance, which also included their guest violinist Maybellene Ryder who briefly rode atop someone’s shoulders. “Okay, one last song.” Herring mentioned how for the longest time he could not bring himself to sing “Little Dreamer.” The song has the lyrics, “Like the waxing scar where my lonely heart – Once bloomed – before, I met you.” The back curtains of the stage rose, exposing the backstage as a tribute to the unveiling of painful memories.
Opener Oh Rose, from Olympia, Washington, has been supporting the tour throughout the month of September.
Oh Rose released a new album called Dorothy this month. The vocals of lead singer Olivia Rose enhance sweeping melodies adding a Celtic touch that evokes mystery and the unexpected. For a trio of songs, Los Angeles-based violinist Maybellene Ryder joined the band, lending vocals. The violin added a nice twist to the music, as the band upped the volume and the rock voltage. You’ve got to love their song titles such as “Flu” and “Toilet Water.” “Flu” started off with willowy vocals and then the band came in to press the music forward until the vocals punctuated the air. “Toilet Water” had Rose’s vocals ricocheting across the Shrine.
Future Islands setlist: King of Sweden, The Tower, A Dream of You and Me, Swept Inside, Ran, Plastic Beach, Peach, Balance, Give Me The Ghost Back, The Sickness, City’s Face, Walking Through That Door, Shadows (with Oh, Rose), For Sure, The Thief, Glimpse, Say Goodbye, Seasons (Waiting on You), Lone Flight, Corner of My Eye. Encores: Inch of Dust, Tin Man, Vireo’s Eye, Little Dreamer.
Oh, Rose setlist: It Takes Time To Love Me, Body, Back 2 U, No Poet, Lottery, Man Compares Woman, Roses, Flu, Toilet Water.
Listen to Future Islands here:
