Photograph by Marien Wilkinson for The Triangle
Phoenix proved to be true entertainers at their sold out show this past weekend at The Fillmore. After a three-year hiatus, the Ti Amo tour revitalized the fans of the Philadelphia area. Their use of visual projections, lights and crowd engagement made their performance unique and especially memorable. They were perfectly complemented by openers The Lemon Twigs, an incredibly well-reviewed band consisting of two brothers from Long Island, New York.
The Fillmore hosted Phoenix and The Lemon Twigs June 2. The Lemon Twigs released their first album in 2016, called “Do Hollywood.” They opened this weekend’s show with their hit “I Wanna Prove to You” — a lush and creative love song that could have easily been mistaken as being from the the 1960s.
Before hearing they were opening for Phoenix, I myself had not heard of The Lemon Twigs. I was pleasantly surprised by their performance. Their sound was reminiscent of The Beach Boys and The Beatles, but with a new-age twist. The lead singer, Brian D’Addario crooned away to nostalgic melodies. The vintage aesthetic made it easy to sing along to, even to someone unfamiliar with the music. Their shaggy haircuts and bell-bottom jeans further complemented their retro style.
After The Lemon Twigs left the stage, French band Phoenix put on an unforgettable performance.
Phoenix’s music had a unique sound, mixing pop, rock and disco with electronic synthetics. The group’s debut album, “United” came out in 2000 featuring the hit song “If I Ever Feel Better” which remains one of their most listened to tracks. Their following albums, “Alphabetical” (2004) and “It’s Never Been Like That” (2006), preluded 2009’s “Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix” which brought them international mainstream recognition.
This album included hits “Lisztomania,” “1901,” “Lasso” and “Girlfriend.” All of these songs have a synthetic, indie-pop vibe signature to Phoenix. Their most recent album “Entertainment” was released in 2013. They are currently on tour in anticipation for their upcoming album, “Ti Amo,” which will be released June 9. So far, three singles have been released: “J-Boy”, “Ti Amo” and “Goodbye Soleil.” This album promises to have a more electronic, european disco vibe than their previous albums.
The set was actually on the longer side, with 14 songs in the main set and three additional ones for the encore. The show opened with “Ti Amo,” the first opportunity the fans had to hear the single live. The lighting was incredibly vibrant throughout the show, with bright orange, fuchsia and electric blue lights shining at the same time. Behind the band was a large projector which at one point had a white geometric building descending on repeat making the viewer feel like they were falling. The projector continued to change throughout the set. This captivating visual element helped make the show a unique experience for the crowd.
The encore started with lead singer Thomas Mars standing in the front of the audience, singing with the crowd. Even after leaving the stage, Mars’ voice continued to be heard. For the grande finale, Mars sang the song “1901” from the back of the audience, while working his way to the middle of the crowd.
From the middle of the venue , the crowd lifted Mars up to where he was standing fully upright. Being up close and personal to one of my favorite vocalists was surreal and exhilarating. This ended the show in the perfect way, as a peak to an already unforgettable night of music.