During Friday’s performance at House of Blues, Spoon frontman Britt Daniel noted the indie rock band hadn’t been to Cleveland in a long time — so long that neither he nor his bandmates could remember the last time they had performed here.
He did recall playing Euclid Tavern in the past, and bassist Rob Pope remembered a show at the Grog Shop. You can see a slideshow of photos from the concert here.
The show started with a fury as it began with the infectious title track from the band’s new album, Hot Thoughts. Three giant black and white striped light boxes loomed behind them, resembling oversized Sephora bags turned into Light Brite. Daniel’s gritty voice sounded sharp as the band revisited older songs "Rent I Pay," "Inside Out" and "I Turn My Camera On" before returning to the new album with "Can I Sit Next To You."
The night continued with "Don’t You Evah" and "Don’t Make Me a Target" before the band delivered the haunting new track "WhisperI’lllistentohearit," a song that preached “someday you won’t be so alone” as the tune’s energy built. Then, it was back to older tracks with "Anything You Want" and "My Mathematical Mind."
The band left the stage for a few minutes to let keyboardist Alex Fischel solo as a purple glow filled the venue. The dreamy synth intermission flowed into the gentle ballad "I Ain’t The One," a song which made you feel like you were floating in space. The peppy "Do You" brought the crowd back down to earth.
At one point, someone shouted something to the stage and Daniel responded, “Our music makes you feel good inside? Thank you from the second row!” The packed room cheered.
"The Underdog" felt like a refreshing Neil Diamond dance break that was both out of place and also somehow perfect for the moment. The crowd swayed as one connected being. Fans danced and held up plastic cups spilling over with draft beer as they sang along.
Spoon closed with "Rainy Taxi" and then returned for a four-song encore, ending their meaty 90-minute set with "Do I Have To Talk You Into It." As fans filed out of the venue, they looked happy, satisfied and exhausted.
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