Live Review and Photos by Danielle Boise
“We’ve had the best here tonight.” – Nate Ruess
Rosco Bandana and Hunter Hunted opened for the Grammy winners fun., at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre on Tuesday, Oct. 8 for a night colorfully exuberant music. With an indie rock viability right out of the Gulf, Rosco Bandana started the night off with a bit of a bite mixed with Southern charm as it performed songs off Time To Begin. Hunter Hunted took to the stage next and got the crowd excited with their catchy pop hooks and intricate harmonies as they played songs off their debut EP with gusto.
“We want fun. We want fun. We want fun,” chanted on repeat, as the crowd anxiously waited for Nate Ruess, Andrew Dost and Jack Antonoff to make an appearance. And what an appearance they made, as the boys of fun. stepped onto the VZW Amphitheatre staged dressed to the nines in tuxedos to perform “Some Nights (intro)” acapella-style illuminated in a set of stoplights. After which the lights dimmed, only to shatter in a sea of light as fun. dress more casually exploded with bounds of energy across the stage and made it their own as they performed “One Foot,” “Walking the Dog,” “All Alone,” “Why am I the One,” “At Least I’m Not as Sad (As I Used to Be),” “All the Pretty Girls,” “It Gets Better” and “Barlights.”
“Carry On” became an epic experience, with a nonstop explosion of being continuously covered in cotton candy colored confetti.
Before going into “The Gambler,” Ruess talked to the audience about what it meant to the band to be where they are at. “The only job we have it you guys. We’re the most boring group of guys (off stage). What makes us bad asses is you guys. We’ve had the best fucking time here tonight because of you guys. Thank you.”
“Here tonight, this is our last headlining show this year … for this tour … for this album.” – Nate Ruess
fun. wrapped up their regular set with “We are Young” and ended with The Rolling Stones cover of “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.” For the encore, fun. performed “Some Nights” and ended the evening with “Stars.”
“I fucking love you guys. Oh Atlanta, we got a few more shows later, but nothing like this. This is something we never thought would happen. It’s all because of you guys that this is a reality.” – Nate Ruess
Nothing beats seeing a sea of fans matching in time to the band on stage, so caught up in the swell of emotions that the music elicits. You can walk into a venue alone, but walk out with a thousand friends, and this is what the experience was like at a fun. show. By being part of something bigger than one’s self, by being part of a collective occurrence.
Full Photo Gallery of Rosco Bandana
Full Photo Gallery of Hunter Hunted
Full Photo Gallery of Fun.
