There was definitely a buzz running through the Toronto crowd awaiting Foster The People’s arrival at The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern. The Los Angeles band was swinging through town for a surprisingly intimate performance at the 400-person venue and tickets were definitely difficult to come by, selling out instantly as soon as they went on sale.
Equipment was stacked all over the stage, taking up every available surface of an already fairly tiny area. Roadies performed triple checks on the instruments; fans crowded to the front; and, by the time the lights dimmed, the energy in the room was insurmountable. Despite a bit of a delay in setting things up (the band appearing just over 15 minutes past their scheduled 10:30 start time,) the late start was instantly forgiven as soon as the band launched into “Life on the Nickel,” off of their 2011 Torches debut. They followed this with “Miss You,” a one-two punch of older material that had the crowd bopping along.
Third song, “A Beginners Guide To Destroying The Moon,” was the first appearance of new material for the Toronto crowd – a track on the long-awaited and recently released Supermodel. It’s an interesting number and one that sees the band pushing themselves musically, vocalist Mark Foster switching between softer keys and a much more aggressive vocal line.
Foster spent much of the show animated: spurring on the audience and encouraging their enthusiasm. Often he’d pace the front of the crowd, his arms extended as he belted out lyrics. He made strong eye contact with those in the front and was great at making people feel like they were part of something very intimate – granted, they were.
Cubbie Fink and Mark Pontius, on bass and drums respectively, kept more or less out of the spotlight – both flanking Foster and providing the instrumental necessities to the band’s music. On stage, four other members (including two female backup vocalists) joined the core three-piece to flesh out the sound. It should have been five, Foster noted, but unfortunately long-time touring band member Isom Innis had to return to Los Angeles because of a medical emergency.
His absence was certainly noticeable, the band struggling to pull off some of the newer material in the reconfigured setting. “Coming Of Age,” the first single from Supermodel, suffered, failing to pack the same punch it has on record. They had two false starts with the number – Foster explaining to the crowd that Phil, one of their instrumentalists, had a lot of new ground to cover. “Let’s not play that part, Phil. That part’s weird…” Foster said, prior to the third go-around. By the time they finally got into it, much of its momentum had been lost. But that’s the sort of thing that happens during intimate, one-off shows such as these. It’s actually rather endearing to witness, all things considered.
“Pseudologia Fantastica” and “Nevermind,” two other new songs that were performed back-to-back, were interestingly paired. The former was more electronic while the latter was a guitar-driven number – Foster switching off his electric partway through and picking up a mandolin in its place.
But it was the bass-driven “Best Friend” that was the true highlight of the Supermodel material, introduced by Foster as one of his favourites on the new album. Though you could tell the audience wasn’t quite comfortable with the new songs, the upbeat number played very well – its near spoken word verse, with Foster exclaiming “Sometimes it feels like I only dream in black and white,” exceptionally strong.
“You guys are going to know this next one,” Foster prefaced before taking a seat at his keyboard for Torches’ “Waste.” The band handled the song’s instrumental breakdown with ease, Foster then leading the crowd through a sing-along with just him and his keyboard.
Of course it was “Pumped Up Kicks” that got a huge crowd reception, the band’s breakout single still as catchy as ever. They quickly followed it with another new one and, while Foster commanded the stage for “The Truth,” it was Pontius’ percussion that shone through – the use of an electronic drum pad cutting through the use of the standard kit and providing a notable, welcome change.
“Good energy tonight,” Foster told the crowd before launching into another audience favourite with “Helena Beat.” The song climaxed with Foster furiously playing his guitar, towering over the audience as the song came to its conclusion. As the band filed off stage, chants for “one more song” quickly filled the venue. The band obliged – forgoing the written set list’s indicator of the slower “Fire Escape” and moving straight into the punk-y offerings of “Color On The Walls (Don’t Stop).” Foster was almost pulled into the crowd as he ended his lyrical delivery, the sweaty audience eager to place a hand on him.
All in all, the night was a nice, intimate showing by a group capable of selling out venues much larger than the Horseshoe. It’s nice when bands take time to do things like this – though understandably frustrating for fans unable to get tickets to such small affairs. That said: Foster The People is set to return in May to play the larger (and equally historic) Massey Hall. While some people have raised an eyebrow at the upbeat rock band playing the seated venue, what’s interesting is that after seeing their current configuration in a sweaty club, I can see how it would translate over. Even if it means having to dance in the aisles instead of a crowded pit – it’ll undoubtedly be a good, polished show.
