fun. Wows The Wiltern

Fun-Band-8-19-12-1-5x7

Some people were meant for the stage, and fun.’s vocalist Nate Ruess proved this statement on Friday night during the band’s first of three sold-out shows at L.A.’s iconic venue, The Wiltern.

Though fun. is a relatively new band, releasing its debut album (Aim And Ignite) a mere three years ago, Ruess is no stranger to the music world. The Arizona native started his career as a founding member of the indie band, The Format, back in 2001, where he and life-long friend Sam Means released two full-lengths and a slew of EPs before parting ways in 2008.

But it was all just a lead-up to his current successes. If you listen to music (doesn’t matter what genre), you have heard fun. “We Are Young,” the band’s first single off 2012’s Some Nights, is probably the most-played indie pop song of the year (unless you count Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used To Know,”) and the album’s second single, “Some Nights,” is getting its fair share of playtime as well. However, what sets this indie pop outfit apart from other popular acts is its fan base. The sold out Los Angeles crowd knew every word to every song and treated them all as if they were hit singles, clapping and cheering to each tune that comprised the group’s 75-minute long set.

fun6_560

The band’s delivery may have had something to do with this enthusiasm. From the minute he stepped on stage, Ruess wore a sincere grin as he gazed out at the packed auditorium. He danced around the stage as he sang, connecting with his fans and gesturing for them to sing along. His energy seeped into the rest of the members, as guitarist Jack Antonoff slashed his strings and accompanied drummer Will Noon on the kit during a theatrical rendition of Aim And Ignite’s “Barlights,” which ended with a monstrous spray of confetti over the crowd.

Despite the theatrics, Ruess was genuinely grateful to be playing three nights in the City of Angels. “This is one of the coolest fucking nights,” he told his fans midway through a cover of The Four Seasons’ “December, 1963.” “The first cut is the deepest, and this is the first of three shows in L.A.” he added to lavish applause.

Though set in a pop mold, the indie poppers flexed their rock muscles by ending their set with a cover of The Rolling Stones’ ‘You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” before returning for an epic encore that began with the infectious “One Foot,” and ended with “Some Nights.” As the final song concluded, a burst of white and black balloons shot from the ceiling and floated down to the crowd below.

Every person in The Wiltern left with a smile on his or her face, some clutching black and white balloons, still entranced by fun. Ruess was right; the first cut really is the deepest. It’s going to take a lot to outdo that show.

Like us on Facebook at BestNewBands.com and KatrinaNattress and follow us on Twitter at @BestNewBandscom and @KatrinaNattress

Photo Credits: Top – (c) Katrina Nattress, Middle: (c) Daniela Montelongo