Fruit Bats were in fine form when they played The Commonwealth Room in Salt Lake City on October 16. Delta Spirit’s Matthew Logan Vasquez opened.
It happened in a natural sort of way — maybe in the last several years, and when nobody was paying attention — but Fruit Bats became regulars in these parts. Like Built to Spill or Dinosaur Jr. or Howard Jones, we can count on them to be here. Even lead singer Eric D. Johnson admitted he makes a point of steering his tour bus this direction every single tour they do. No complaints here. The welcome always feels warm (from both sides), and the performance, genuine.
Can they be counted on to come back? Solid yes. Can we expect an excellent show out of the band, every time they pass through? Also yes. Last Friday’s concert found the Midwest band interweaving songs from their latest album The Landfill alongside the ones we could sing along to more easily. (And that part can’t be helped.) Songs like “When U Love Somebody,” “You’re Too Weird,” and “Humbug Mountain Song” had the near capacity crowd singing verses back in the band’s direction.
There were fake candles lining the stage. There was a lot of hair being swung around. It even got jammy. Mixed altogether, it made for a predictably great recipe. As expected. Until next time.
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