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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.

MP3: Phoenix – 1901
MP3: The Drums – Let’s Go Surfing

Frenchmen Phoenix have been quite the busy lads these last few months. Since their latest album Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix was released in May, they have been touring almost non-stop across fifteen different countries. After perusing their blog, they’ve also somehow found time to become quite the photographers. Their tour continues strong into 2010, where they will be playing at the Vancouver Olympics before returning to Europe. They’ve come a long way in the last ten years (wow, it’s really been ten years?) since they began. From their ties with other French icons Air and Daft Punk, to paving the road for bands like Empire of the Sun and MGMT, they’re pretty much the real pop deal.

The awesomely fun rockers drop into Columbus next Wednesday to play a show at The Newport. Supporting Phoenix will be Florida-turned-Brooklyners The Drums. Their infectiously high-spirited songs about being in the sun and surfing are juxtaposed only by the fact that they seem to fit the Brit-pop model to a T. Perhaps that’s why NME called them “New York’s official Coolest New Band.” Regardless, I’m looking forward to a great show.

Check out this fun, quick video of them performing AIr’s “Playground Love” at The Current:

See more from The Current performance here.