Future Islands in Indianapolis

When: August 9, 2014
Where: The Vogue Theatre in Indianapolis, IN

The Show:

Future Islands made their network television debut in a now-famous performance on the David Letterman show back in March. The video of that performance, along with an NPR interview soon after turned me into a fan of the band almost overnight, and convinced me that their live performances could be nothing less than amazing.

I got my opportunity when the band announced their summer tour with dates in Indianapolis and Columbus. The morning of the Indianapolis show, I bought my ticket and planned for a evening drive to one of my favorite cities.

I drove to a friend's house who lives just a couple of miles from the venue. I decided to walk the rest of the way to The Vogue (get my steps in)! Though there had been many bands who played there in the past that I'd wanted to see, it was my first time actually being inside. The venue doubles as a dance club and had some lounging space to either side of the floor and two floors of bar and viewing space.

I was able to meet up with a friend at the concert who I only discovered was there when I Facebooked my presence at the show. His wife commented that I should look for him since he was there as well. It's always great to have a concert buddy!

The opening act was a new band named Operators, the new project of Dan Boeckner (of Wolf Parade, Handsome Furs, and Divine Fits). They performed a short set of songs from their debut EP. Boeckner seems to hit gold wherever he goes; this new band was incredible. Boeckner has a fairly distinctive voice that made their sound obviously his, but with synthpop undertones to replace the more guitar-driven sounds of his past bands.

Next, the main act came on. Sam Herring and company put on one hell of a show. He showed off some of the dance moves debuted on late night, and introduced some new ones, as well. I've also never seen a singer as interactive; he talked paragraphs to us, shook hands, and placed hands on shoulders. He was a joy to watch

The band primarily performed from their most recent, Singles, but also played songs from their back catalog.

Mini Setlist:

Operators - "True" (from EP1)
Future Islands - "Balance" (from On the Water)
Future Islands - "Fall from Grace" (from Singles)