PHOTOS: Foxygen at The Vic 3.31.17
It’s a Friday night and the screen outside the Vic Theater flashes the cover of Foxygen’s latest single, “America." This tour follows the release of the band's acclaimed fourth album, Hang, released January 20th. Gabriella Cohen, the Australian singer, opened the performance, playing dreamy songs that got the crowd moving and ready for the energy that Foxygen was about to bring. The lights go down and an instrumental remix of Dr. Dre’s “The Next Episode” and what sounded like an Ennio Morricone song plays as the band and Johnathon Rado walks out.
As the band began the introduction to “We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic,” lead singer Sam France sashayed onto the theater’s stage. France encountered a minor problem with his microphone coming unplugged, but he finished the song with great power, making the crowd roar with delight. They move on, playing hits such as “San Francisco” and “Shuggie” with Jackie Cohen on the female backup vocals. After getting the hits out of the way, they performed Hang in entirety. The first couple songs off the album such as “Follow the Leader” and “Avalon” got the crowd dancing. For “America” the lights flashed red, white, and blue as Sam France sported a blue suit coat. Once they reached “Rise Up,” the album’s final track, Sam France and Jackie Cohen walked off stage while the rest of the band carried out the powerful ending of the album.
The band returned for their encore with “On Blue Mountain” off their 2nd album, which included Sam France playing the trumpet. They closed with their “How Can You Really” from their 2014 album …And Star Power, a groovy, Todd Rundgren-esque dance number which ended with Sam France jumping into the crowd. The show was a delight to all in attendance, marking Foxygen’s triumphant return to Chicago.
Foxygen will be touring throughout the summer-- check out all their tour dates here, and catch them in a city near you. Listen to their album Hang here: