Blogpost: Show Review: fun. @ The Wiltern

Posted by Aaron H • August 19, 2012

Posted by Aaron H • August 19, 2012

funwil2.jpg

Fun. are back on the road selling out shows again. This time however, they didn't just sell out one show, but 3 nights at the illustrious Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles. Wow. This band has come a long way. Would they be able to fill the venue sonically as much as with their fans?

A full house at The Wiltern makes it difficult to walk anywhere. The number of people there was a sight to see on its own, and every last one of them awaited Fun.'s presence. The lights dropped and Fun. walk out and jump into the mellow track, "Carry On." I didn't think I'd enjoy this song as an opener as much as many of the other tracks they've opened shows with, but it turned out to be a great way to start the show. The song allowed the crowd to continue to build up some anticipation until the point that they could get rowdy--which hit the moment guitarist, Jack Antonoff, got to his solo. The fans really let loose as the band went into classics, "Walking the Dog" and "All The Pretty Girls."funwil1.jpg

The night was off to a great start. The audience was in good spirits--minus the occasional obnoxious inebriate. The band was full of energy, full of smiles, and still full of charm. Nate was bouncing across the stage as usual. Jack was on the verge of breaking every single one of his strings, and Andrew never missed a note. They shared some stage banter and even went into an impromtu cover of "December, 1963." However they didn't complete it--despite the fans continuing on with the lyrics.

Fun. jumped back and forth between albums, playing tracks like "At Least I'm Not As Sad" and "Roman Candle" from Aim & Ignite, and songs from Some Nights like, "Why Am I the One?" and "All Alone." The group reworked the fast paced, "It Gets Better," by getting rid of the opening drum machine and utilizing the guitars more for the mid-tempo intro. The band still maintained tradition by having the backing band walk off so Nate, Jack, and Andrew could perform "The Gambler,"--which was dedicated to Jack and Andrew's parents. They did throw in a few surprises though. During the bridge of "Barlights," confetti was shot out from all corners of the room and completely filled the venue. They also went into a cover (a fully planned out one this time) of The Rolling Stones', "You Can't Always Get What You Want." You know, they haven't done a single bad cover over the years. I wonder what they'll do in the future.


funwil3.jpgOf course, the band couldn't leave without first doing the track that really put them on the map, "We Are Young." It's no surprise that the crowd went wild. After the band had left and returned for their encore, they blared out, "One Foot." Personally, a song I had been looking forward to the whole night. The crowd was causing the ground the shake, but not like they did as when they closed the show with "Some Nights." I've expressed my distaste for the autotune in the past, so I won't get into it, haha. A small highlight of the night was when Nate decided to hit the high note in the bridge on, "oh, come on!" As they closed out the night, balloons rained down, and some fans even decided to take some home as souvenirs.

Everyone had a good time and went home happy. The people attending the remaining nights are in for a treat. If it's 3 sold out nights at The Wiltern now, I can only imagine where this band will be playing the next time they come around. Somewhere they'll surely still pack to the brim no doubt. They've worked hard for their success and they deserve it.

Aaron H • August 19, 2012

More recent blogposts

Tripping Daisy North American Tour 2025

Posted by Mirela Z. • July 13, 2025

Tripping Daisy @ Lee's Palace Toronto, Canada July 11, 2025 Tripping Daisy brought us back to 1995 and sounded better than ever! When the crowd sings along 30 years later there’s no better feeling! Read more

Death from Above 1979

Posted by Mirela Z. • July 6, 2025

Death from Above 1979 @ SummerStage New York, USA July 2, 2025 "The boundary pushing Death From Above 1979 originated from Toronto with the uncompromising one-two punch of 2002’s fuzz-bomb EP Heads Up and 2004’s epochal debut album You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine. The band has made numerous appearances on the Billboard charts as well as on TV performing … Read more

Sum 41 @ Scotiabank Arena

Posted by Mirela Z. • June 19, 2025

Sum 41 final shows - day 1 of 2 Scotiabank Arena Toronto Canada Jan. 28, 2025 All photos by @front.row.fans   Read more

Play/Search/Repeat - May 2025

Posted by Loren • May 27, 2025

It's been a while since I put another playlist up. I actually had this 99% done a couple of months ago, but everything went haywire and the list went on hold. This edition of Search/Play/Repeat is a quick play, running about 30 minutes in total. Enjoy! Read more

Visual Learner / BlackDots / City Mouse

Posted by Loren • May 14, 2025

Visual Learner, BlackDots, City Mouse, Couch Potato Massacre Cloudland Theater Minneapolis, MN May 7, 2025 I’m embarrassed that I haven’t covered any shows at Cloudland for SPB previously. It’s a relatively new addition to the Minneapolis scene and a welcome addition that feels as much like a community space as a club. In other words, it’s clean instead of dingy, … Read more

HORSE the Band @ The Glass House 4/26/25

Posted by Aaron H • May 2, 2025

HORSE the Band - Credit: AMH HORSE the Band are on the road celebrating the 20th anniversary of their sophomore album, The Mechanical Hand. Joining them for the first leg of the tour was Pomona locals, Othiel, Flake from Wichita, Kansas, and LA's "melodic crust" quartet, Lagrimas. It's an odd feeling to remember being at the record release show for … Read more

The Linda Lindas/BYOP/Chicano Mosh @ GHCH 4/1/25

Posted by Aaron H • April 5, 2025

The Linda Lindas - Credit: AMH After spending the Summer playing stadiums opening for Green Day and The Rolling Stones, The Linda Lindas are out on the road supporting their new album, No Obligation. For their first major headlining tour since releasing their sophomore album last Fall, the young punk quartet brought along Garage-Punk veterans, Be Your Own Pet for … Read more

PJ Harvey @ Sydney Opera House Forecourt

Posted by T • March 14, 2025

PJ Harvey Sydney Opera House Forecourt 13 March 2025 Sydney, Australia photo courtesy of Daniel Boud and the Sydney Opera House.Caption Some artists perform. PJ Harvey transmutes. Like a figure walking between worlds, she never lingers too long in one place, never allows herself to fossilize into nostalgia. Instead, she reinvents - without ever severing the thread that binds her … Read more

The Get Up Kids/Ozma @ The Glass House 3/7/25

Posted by Aaron H • March 14, 2025

The Get Up Kids - Credit: AMH The Get Up Kids just finished the US leg of their 25th Anniversary Tour for their seminal album, Something To Write Home About with 2 nights at The Glass House in Pomona. Of course, I didn't wanna miss it. Following support from Indie-Rock band, Ozma -- who ran through tracks from their first … Read more

Chat Pile/Gouge Away @ The Glass House 2/22/25

Posted by Aaron H • March 4, 2025

Chat Pile Fans - Credit: AMH Chat Pile are about to wrap up their US West Coast and Canada tour with Gouge Away this week. I was fortunate enough to catch the sludgy rockers when they came through Pomona last week. Nightosphere - Credit: AMH Kansas City's Nightosphere has opened the shows every night. The trio's unique blend of shoegaze … Read more