Photos by Cary Whitt, words by Adriana Mundy
Walking into a packed, sold-out house at the Newport last night was rather incredible. There was an intensely electric buzz that I was sure would progress into quite the charismatic show. Though I was a bit let down to find out The Drums would in fact not be opening (the product of a miscommunication mishap between the promoter and tour), I was pleased to finally catch a set by local band Afortiori. One might call them the kings of the Newport as they seemed to breathe, sleep and eat up all of their time there. Even Phoenix members Deck D’Arcy and Laurent Brancowitz stepped out into the crowd to catch a couple songs before being recognized by members of the crowd and retreating backstage.
The excitement heightened during the break as the “Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix” banner was dropped as a public announcement of what was to come.
(Keep reading for more photos and recaps…)
After taking the stage and the first couple notes of “Lisztomania” beginning, it was on. Not much was left to the imagination as Phoenix from that moment on played their hearts out for every last ticket holder. “Girlfriend,” “Napoleon Says” and “If I Ever Feel Better” were personal highlights of the show.
I honestly haven’t seen so many people having that great of a time there since last year’s two-day Girl Talk stint. Room-wide dance party. Everyone smiling. Guilt-free fun… and lots of beer spilling. Kudos to Phoenix.
cool shots – great concert!