Foster The People @ The Mann Center.

Text by Ian Cruiess. Image by Katie Gillis.

Halfway through the Foster The People set at the Mann Center last Thursday, lead singer Mark Foster took the time to speak about the band’s last concert in Philadelphia. They played at the Kung Fu Necktie last year, in front of a crowd of maybe fifty people.

One year later, anyone entering the area around the Mann Center faced massive problems. The parking for last week’s show – also featuring Kimbra and Tokyo Police Club – took up the entire grass park in front of the Mann, making getting in and out difficult.

Still, there was excitement in the air. Upon walking in, all that was visible was a sea of people. You couldn’t distinguish between between people on the lawn from those in the seated area.

Kimbra and Tokyo Police Club opened and were greeted with a smattering of applause. The majority of the audience seemed distracted until Foster the People came on stage at 9:30, after nearly forty five minutes of intermission. When the lights dimmed there was deafening applause. It seemed as though there was an entirely new crowd.

The hour and twenty minute set by Foster The People featured all of the group’s hits, including “Pumped Up Kicks,” “Helena Beat,” “Don’t Stop” and “Houdini.” They also brought out Kimbra to help them perform their new collaboration, “Warrior.”

It was good that there were two opening acts because Foster the People do not have enough material to fill a headliner set. Mark Foster attempted to fill out their set with a few breaks to address the audience between songs. Despite his attempts to interact with the crowd, he lacked stage presence, seeming uncomfortable and awkward through most of the show. This proved to be a very small problem, though, as he was surrounded by a massive light-show, which captured the eye of most of the crowd.

Overall Kimbra, Tokyo Police Club and Foster The People put on a great show. The music was phenomenal, finishing with a dance-heavy, electronic version of “Pumped up Kicks” that had the crowd clapping and singing along.

Foster then stayed behind, bowing and thanking the crowd as the rest of his band walked off stage.