Photos and review by Abby Walter

The excitement in the air was palpable at Lincoln Hall Thursday night as fans eagerly awaited the appearance of Foxygen.  At about 11:00pm, a guy came on the stage and introduced himself as Andrew, one of the band’s friends.  Initially confused and worrying that something had gone awry, everyone was soon in hysterics as Andrew gave one of the best introductions I have ever heard.  With spot on delivery, Andrew explained how hurt he was that the band had essentially asked everyone they knew (except for him) to join their band for the tour, and then proceeded to give us reasons why Foxygen was missing out.  His self-deprecating humor had the crowd rolling throughout his entire speech.  Well done Andrew, well done!

The band took the stage shortly after and opened with “How Can You Really”, the first single off of …And Star Power.  With only the slightest pause to say hello to the crowd, the band immediately jumped into “On Blue Mountain,” one of my personal favorites.  It was amazing to see how quickly fans engaged in the performance.  Dancing and screaming the lyrics along with the band, fans reached out longingly to singer Sam France as he bound across the stage.  The female backup singers made a nice addition to the group and provided both depth and excitement to their performance.  Their wild dance moves and wailing cries combined with a non-stop, high energy performance from the rest of the band worked fans into a frenzy.

Fans got up close and personal with the band as Sam France jumped off the stage and wandered to through a mesmerized crowd.   Later in the night, Jonathan Rado took off his guitar and gave it to the fans in the front row who did their best to get a few notes out before passing it back.

All in all, I think Foxygen has come a long way since I last saw them.  Their seductive stage presence, perfect welding of old and new, fast and slow songs, and cult-like following created an atmosphere supremely unique to a Foxygen show.   I feel lucky to have been able to see them once during their two night stay in Chicago.  This band DOES have true star power…power much like that of a siren, beckoning you closer and closer to the chaos.

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