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When I interviewed Fun. at the end of February, I asked them what we could expect from their upcoming tour, and when Andrew Dost’s first answer was that they would have a new light show, I was underwhelmed. A light show wasn’t what I was expecting him to say. (Granted, he did say right after that to expect incredible singing from Nate Ruess. That got me a bit more excited, admittedly.)

Fast forward to March 28th. Fun. was performing at The Independent in San Francisco and I was given the opportunity to go check out the show and see what Andrew was talking about. After a beautiful opener by Avalanche City, the stage was cleared off and set up with Fun.’s equipment. The clock was ticking and it was clear to see that the crowd was getting anxious for Fun. take the stage. Suddenly the lights dimmed and the band came out onto the stage. What is typically a band of three was a band of six — Nate (vocals), Andrew (keys), Jack (guitar), and an extra drummer, vocalist/guitarist, and bass player. Upon arrival, the lights shone on Andrew, sitting at the keyboard and playing a trumpet into the microphone for the start of the second single release off of Some Nights, ”One Foot.” It was right at that moment that I had a bit of an epiphany. All of the sudden, Andrew’s comment about the light show made perfect sense. The lights were incredible. In an intimate venue, a light show makes all of the difference. It brought so much spunk to the stage that was already overflowing with personality due to six incredible performers. Blues, greens, reds, yellows, whites, oranges…they shone down on the band as they jumped around the stage playing their music.

And then, a song would end and the stage would go black. There was something magical in that moment. For whatever reason, my heart skipped a beat every time it happened. Something about seeing the band members in full force one second, and then in an instant, they were invisible. But I knew they were still there. I suppose it might have had something to do with the idea of them eventually leaving the stage and actually being gone…it was a preview of the separation anxiety that was to come, but in those moments, I knew that the lights would be back in a couple more seconds, and again I would be exposed to some of the best live performers I’ve yet to see in my life. It’s really hard to put these feelings into words, so if this isn’t resonating at all with you, just know this: I was sitting there, by myself, giddy like a child and overflowing with excitement. I can’t quite put a finger on why. But it was happening. And I was loving it.

The second part of Andrew’s preview of the show was an understatement. Sure, he told me Nate Ruess can sing like a motherfucker, but that didn’t do his voice justice. Nor did it give me any warning of what a superb performer Nate is. From the very first second he stepped on the stage, he appeared to be a breathing version of a bundle of energy. He’s skinny, he’s hip, and he’s a funking monkey. To emphasize his excitement, he would throw the microphone from one hand to the other, he would jump a couple feet into the air, and his smile…he smiled the whole fucking time. Well, with the exception of the sad songs. He sang those too.

They played a great mix of songs old and new. From their 2010 album Aim and Ignite, they played Be Calm, All The Pretty Girls, At Least I’m Not As Sad, Walking The Dog, Barlights, The Gambler, Take Your Time, and perhaps one more that I’m now forgetting. From Some Nights, they played Some Nights, We Are Young, Carry On, It Gets Better, All Alone, All Alright, One Foot, and again, maybe another song or two that are now slipping my mind. And what more? The entire room seemed to know every single one of these songs. It was truly incredible. And though I’ve known most of these songs for a while now, it was a different experience seeing it live. The energy was real. The emphasis on the juxtaposition between songs on Some Nights was breathtaking. Hearing Nate sing “if you’re lost and alone or you’re sinking like a stone, carry on” in front of a room full of 21+ hardcore fans singing “carry on” right alongside him was really stunning.

Clearly my mind was blown throughout the course of the night. I’m not sure my words can do it justice, frankly. As I’m sitting here writing this, I’m having to readjust myself in my chair every few seconds because I’m finding myself bouncing around getting excited just thinking about what an incredible show it was. I have a smile on my face, my eyes are wide, and I’m listening to Fun. as I type, singing along, sometimes taking breaks to sing. But I quickly get back to writing, because I have just so much to say. It’s exciting. Fuck…writing about it is exciting! So…well, FUN!

There are songs from the album that I didn’t love. Let’s take “It Gets Better,” for example. Wasn’t feeling it when I reviewed the album. But shit. Live? I fucking loved it. “It gets better, it gets better, it gets better, we’ll get better.” Do you know how empowering it is to be singing that at the top of your lungs along with a room with 500+ people? And with Nate leading the pack. Shit. It was unreal.

Some highlights of the night, you ask? Well, for one, I fell in love with the bass guitarist. That boy was hot. And by god, he could destroy a bass guitar. I’m not kidding when I say this, though it sounds like a bold claim from a girl who’s newly in love, but this was the best performing bass guitarist I’ve ever seen. The energy he put into every single pull of the strings was not only apparent, it was contagious. Beyond that, another highlight was when Nate would talk between the songs. In one of his breaks, he asked the room if this was truly a 21+ show. We cheered, and he took that as his chance to tell everybody to take a moment and scream profanities at the top of their lungs for the next 20 seconds. Why the hell not? So we did it, and it was awesome. That’s just how the night went. I arrived at the concert by myself that night, and I walked out with a couple new friends, because everybody under the roof was in the same state of bliss, we might as well have all been family for the night. The band, too. They were family. Seeing Nate Ruess look out at the crowd with gratitude in his eyes, and his smile, yeah. He was family too.

At this point, when I listen to their music, it’s a different feeling than it was before. I already loved it, but now it’s intimate. It’s personal. It’s more fun and more emotional than it used to be. I feel, at times, like Nate is still right there singing to me when I hear it now. Between this concert and the Perfume Genius concert I saw a couple nights before, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen such moving shows. If Fun. is coming to a venue near you, and you don’t go out of your way to at least try to get tickets, you might be out of your mind. I promise you, you’ll regret it if you don’t go. Get off your ass for a night, even if you can’t find anybody to go with you, and go watch them perform. It’s a show, and it’s a fucking blast. You’ll thank me later. And you’ll likely walk away with some new friends and a newfound love for Fun.

*I apologize for the profanity in the post. It just happens when I get this excited. And for the poor quality of photos and videos – I was having too much fun.