Magic Man, the Griswolds, and Panama Wedding at Fete Review
It’s not even 6:30 PM yet, but dedicated fans are already staked out on this chilly Saturday, the line wrapping around Fête Music Hall. When the doors open, the crowd draws near the stage, row after row, everyone antsy for the show to begin. Soon, Panama...
It’s not even 6:30 PM yet, but dedicated fans are already staked out on this chilly Saturday, the line wrapping around Fête Music Hall. When the doors open, the crowd draws near the stage, row after row, everyone antsy for the show to begin. Soon, Panama Wedding kicks off the night with “A Brand New Life.” Their feel-good synthpop hits it off with the concertgoers, and they owned their set with confidence. Despite being a newer band than their tour mates, Panama Wedding performs as though they were meant for the spotlight.
Their set cycles through tracks from two EPs—2014’s Parallel Play and last year’s Into Focus. Between “Feels Like Summer” and “Uma,” a fan in the front row passes frontman Peter Kirk a pineapple. He was clearly taken aback. “Holy shit, it’s a pineapple, I must accept,” Peter says. He places it by the drum kit and promises, “We’ll eat it after the show.”
“Into Focus” is next, followed by “All Of The People,” a familiar tune that invites the audience to sing along. Peter introduces the band—Kenny Bernard on drums, Jared McCarthy on guitar, and Brett Spigelman on bass. He asks the crowd of a heartfelt favor—it’s Brett’s birthday, and of course, the entire venue sings along.
Then, Panama Wedding takes us straight back to 2006 with a cover of The Killers’ “When You Were Young.” They close out their set with “Infinite High.”
Bright, multi-colored lights bring out The Griswolds and they jump right into the action with “Down and Out.” They open their set with tracks from their 2014 album Be Impressive—“16 Years” and “If You Wanna Stay,” before treating the audience to the unreleased “Get Into My Heart,” from their forthcoming record. They throw it back to their debut EP with “The Courtship of Summer Preasley.” By now everyone is more than warmed up, dancing and singing like there’s no tomorrow.
The Griswolds bring their infectious energy to “Right on Track,” which begins with a more down-tempo melody. Lead singer Chris Whitehall jams out with his vivid red hair, and he introduces his Sydney-based band. Daniel Duque-Perez is stage left on the guitar, Tim John is stage right on the bass, and Lachlan West on the drums.
The familiar cheer “Be Aggressive” is playfully “Be Impressive,” and the chant marks the beginning of the title track. The band dives into new territory with “Role Model,” again from their forthcoming album. They close out the night with a song that has stuck with them since the band’s beginnings: “Heart of a Lion.”
They certainly go out with a bang, with Chris somersaulting and climbing onto the drums and trying his hand at the percussion. The bassist and guitarist join in the fun by wrestling each other to the ground. General madness ensues until they shout goodnight.
After a half hour of the crowd growing anxious, an orange light welcomes the final band of the night, Magic Man! They waste no time getting started and the audience goes wild for “Apollo.” Frontman Alex Caplow commands the stage with a larger-than-life presence. “Every Day” and “Out of Mind” are also off Before the Waves, the band’s second album and major label debut. Alex mentions that they are also set to release a new album soon, and they play a track called “Sleepwalking.”
The band has a spirit that cannot be contained, especially Alex who never stops dancing. The mic stand becomes a dance partner rather than a prop onstage. Track after track, it feels like the entire venue knows the words to their songs. They play “Waves” and the crowd-pleaser “Catherine.” Alex gives a shout out before their next song—“This is for the RISD and Brown kids in the house,” before playing “Tonight,” a hopeful track that turns everyone into believers.
Between songs, the band reveals how Providence is like a second home to them. They lived here for two years while recording one of their albums and affectionately calls the city ‘Provi.’ Things slow down for “Honey,” but not for long. A cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing in the Dark” gets all the fans, yes, dancing in the dark.
Everyone claps along to the upbeat “Texas.” Alex teaches the crowd to chant along to a new track “Young Blood” before they return to the beloved “It All Starts Here.”
The audience can’t get enough and cheer and shout until they return for an encore. “Okay, we’ll play one more,” Alex says. After all, they had to perform their most recognizable single “Paris.” Another song starts. To everyone’s disbelief, it’s “Ignition (Remix).” Magic Man calls out their tour mates and onstage it’s one big happy family, as everyone sways to one of R. Kelly’s most iconic songs.
The night is over but everyone is definitely still feeling the post-concert buzz. Hopefully it won’t be long before these artists return to Providence! Check out our photos from the night courtesy of Staff Photographer Ashley Morse!
Bright, multi-colored lights bring out The Griswolds and they jump right into the action with “Down and Out.” They open their set with tracks from their 2014 album Be Impressive—“16 Years” and “If You Wanna Stay,” before treating the audience to the unreleased “Get Into My Heart,” from their forthcoming record. They throw it back to their debut EP with “The Courtship of Summer Preasley.” By now everyone is more than warmed up, dancing and singing like there’s no tomorrow.
The Griswolds bring their infectious energy to “Right on Track,” which begins with a more down-tempo melody. Lead singer Chris Whitehall jams out with his vivid red hair, and he introduces his Sydney-based band. Daniel Duque-Perez is stage left on the guitar, Tim John is stage right on the bass, and Lachlan West on the drums.
The familiar cheer “Be Aggressive” is playfully “Be Impressive,” and the chant marks the beginning of the title track. The band dives into new territory with “Role Model,” again from their forthcoming album. They close out the night with a song that has stuck with them since the band’s beginnings: “Heart of a Lion.”
They certainly go out with a bang, with Chris somersaulting and climbing onto the drums and trying his hand at the percussion. The bassist and guitarist join in the fun by wrestling each other to the ground. General madness ensues until they shout goodnight.
After a half hour of the crowd growing anxious, an orange light welcomes the final band of the night, Magic Man! They waste no time getting started and the audience goes wild for “Apollo.” Frontman Alex Caplow commands the stage with a larger-than-life presence. “Every Day” and “Out of Mind” are also off Before the Waves, the band’s second album and major label debut. Alex mentions that they are also set to release a new album soon, and they play a track called “Sleepwalking.”
The band has a spirit that cannot be contained, especially Alex who never stops dancing. The mic stand becomes a dance partner rather than a prop onstage. Track after track, it feels like the entire venue knows the words to their songs. They play “Waves” and the crowd-pleaser “Catherine.” Alex gives a shout out before their next song—“This is for the RISD and Brown kids in the house,” before playing “Tonight,” a hopeful track that turns everyone into believers.
Between songs, the band reveals how Providence is like a second home to them. They lived here for two years while recording one of their albums and affectionately calls the city ‘Provi.’ Things slow down for “Honey,” but not for long. A cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing in the Dark” gets all the fans, yes, dancing in the dark.
Everyone claps along to the upbeat “Texas.” Alex teaches the crowd to chant along to a new track “Young Blood” before they return to the beloved “It All Starts Here.”
The audience can’t get enough and cheer and shout until they return for an encore. “Okay, we’ll play one more,” Alex says. After all, they had to perform their most recognizable single “Paris.” Another song starts. To everyone’s disbelief, it’s “Ignition (Remix).” Magic Man calls out their tour mates and onstage it’s one big happy family, as everyone sways to one of R. Kelly’s most iconic songs.
The night is over but everyone is definitely still feeling the post-concert buzz. Hopefully it won’t be long before these artists return to Providence! Check out our photos from the night courtesy of Staff Photographer Ashley Morse!
Magic Man and Griswolds 4-16