Phantogram mesmerizes an enthusiastic crowd with their spacey electropop and alternative rock on the Running Through Colors Tour, with support from Open Mike Eagle.
Open Mike Eagle kicks off the evening with a set of hip-hop and rap songs. He spends most of the time behind his midi-controller and mic stand, occasionally roaming the stage while delivering the words. It is a rather chill beginning for tonight’s event. The crowd seems to like him as they show their appreciation with applause after each song.
The lights go out, and the crowd lets out loud cheers as Phantogram walks out. Fans have been waiting in anticipation for six months since the originally scheduled date in February was postponed due to a band illness. They start off with “Funeral Pyre” from their 2016 album Three, led by Sarah Barthel on guitar, along with her ethereal vocals. They follow that with a fan favorite, “You Don’t Get Me High Anymore,” which gets the fans moving early. The stage is densely lit with a lot of deep red, orange, blue, purple, and green, making Sarah and guitarist Josh Carter appear as silhouettes often.A highlight of the show comes early with the next two songs. Setlist staple and big hit “Fall in Love” kicks off with its solid bass and trippy electronics, and then Sarah delivers her airy vocals. They then go into the new song “Feedback Invisible.” This song is one of their most fast-paced, driven by cool drumbeats, and has Josh taking on some of the lead vocals. The vibe is enhanced by backlighting and strobes. The fans love it!
When Sarah is not on keyboards or bass, she is dancing across the stage, accentuated by hand gestures, and often sending her hair flying. Josh and Sarah play well off each other, with Josh often joining her by the keyboards or at mid-stage. Sarah and Josh are backed by longtime drummer Chris Carhart and keyboardist Jonathan Mooney.
“Your Mine” features Sarah and Josh trading off on vocals. Next up is “It Wasn’t Meant to Be,” a mellow, pop-like song from their latest album that has a catchy groove that is easy for fans to bop to. The fans get even more engaged when the opening of “Same Old Blues” kicks in. Josh, sporting a NY baseball cap, is more restrained on stage, but does let loose with cool riffs and solos during some songs. Their set spans their career, going back to the 2010 release Eyelid Movies to their latest album Memory of a Day, with six songs coming from the latter. They have the fans pumped up from start to finish. Following the new song “Attaway,” they slow it way down with “Answer.” A fan favorite, “Don’t Move,” has the crowd letting out big cheers again. After the new song “Ashes,” they pick things back up with the new song “Happy Again,” followed by “In a Spiral.” They wind down the main portion of the set with their big hit single “Black Out Days,” which has the crowd going wild before exiting the stage.
Returning to the stage, they play their radio hit “Come Alive,” and wrap it up with “When I’m Small,” which has the fans singing along and wanting more.
It is yet another great concert by Phantogram as they continue to wow fans on every tour. Catch them while you can on this concert run. They have one more show opening for Deftones, along with more headlining shows into mid-October.
PHANTOGRAMWebsite Facebook X
