A live show in New Orleans won’t lack any love. This was especially true at the House of Blues last night with Fitz and the Tantrums taking the stage. This band of six had the crowd whipped to a frenzy of jiving bodies and waving hands. Lead singer Michael Fitzpatrick was grand master of the show. With co-lead vocalist Noelle Scaggs they polled the crowd finding about half the attendees were dedicated followers and while the other half of us including myself raised our hands in glorious acknowledgement that our first Fitz performance would surely be the event we hoped it would. The hype was tangible as the set started and heavy bass and drums from members Joseph Karnes and John Wicks, accompanied by James King’s sweet saxophone melodies.  Of course Jeremy Ruzumna on the keyboard steered the band with those undeniably Fitz notes and the crowd soaked every sound in.
Back lit by the electronic signature maze-like heart featured on their “More than Just a Dream” album, the crew played favorites from both albums making sure to keep the crowd dancing. With well-known tracks like Break the Walls, Walker, and Out of My league the crowd belted lyrics in unison with Michael and Noelle. Their stage presence was perfect and they perfectly handled the crowd, never once letting the energy falter. Both leads were a burst of smoothly controlled energy while King would often burst to the front with some sweet sax solo making the crowd absolutely go crazy. The crowd stayed energetic and captivated even during slower numbers like Fool’s Gold and Spark, and as Noelle said “We do not accept wall flowers. It’s all about getting down and dirty!”
To end the set the band poured their hearts out into a performance of Money Grabber, and just as we all thought it was over Michael had everyone get low. Everyone on that floor dropped to the ground. At five foot one I’ve never had such a clear view of the stage as everyone crammed into what little space there was as we all waited for directions. Those directions came in a frenzy of drum beats, heavy bass, and pink confetti. The crowd went wild and Fitz the tantrums called it a wrap. The crowd, however, demanded more and the band joined us for an encore. The evening was a perfect embodiment of everything that is a Fitz and the Tantrums song and if the energy I spent was the best sort of fit I’ve ever had.