Words by Audra Tracy | Photos by Joe Papeo
Most bands only dream of feeling such an outpouring of love from New Yorkers like Walk the Moon did at Terminal 5 on September 20th. Yes, the band’s synth-pop spell was so strong that it transformed even shoe-gazing city kids into total dancin’ fools.
Light-up trees inspired by the quartet’s album cover-art glowed from the stage as fans pushed their way to the front lines of the packed house. After a warm-up set by Magic Man, the headliners stole the spotlight around 9:20, kicking off the Friday night dance party with a technicolor swirl of hand-claps and cat calls to the tune of ‘Quesadilla’. More songs from Walk the Moon’s breakthrough album followed to T5’s delight, including ‘Lisa Baby’ and ‘Next in Line’.
It seemed like Nicholas Petricca (vocals/synths), Kevin Ray (bass/vocals), Sean Waugaman (drums/vocals), Eli Maiman (guitar/vocals) never lost momentum throughout the set, pounding on drums, teetering on monitors and bouncing along to beats of their own creation. Die-hard fans were in a state of perpetual perspiration, even as the band performed newer tracks like ‘Anywayican’ and ‘Tête-À-Tête’.
Just last summer, the Cincinnati-based act was teaching a curious crowd at Firefly the words to songs off their self-titled LP, and now, in the heart of the Big Apple, a sold-out show full of rainbow-painted faces was reciting every last lyric. If Walk the Moon wasn’t sure if they’ve officially “made it” yet, this was definitely the show to tip them off.
www.walkthemoonband.com
www.walkthemoonband.com
TheWaster.com | Shiver
09.22.13
