WERS 88.9 fm - Artist Interview: Phoenix

 June 23rd, 2009

Fresh off a slot at the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, French imports Phoenix showed no signs of slowing down at Boston's Paradise Rock Club. The performance came during the first half of a sold-out North American run that is part of a greater world tour to support their latest album, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. Naturally, they mostly featured cuts from the new release (coming right out of the gate with "Lisztomania"), but they thrilled their longtime fans with a slew of older favorites, even journeying as far back as 1999's "Too Young."

I cannot stress enough how tight the band sounded, whether they were rocking out ("Long Distance Calls") or laying down some more disco-oriented grooves ("Napoleon Says"). Phoenix's recorded work certainly has a good amount of polish to it, but what I hadn't realized is that this polish isn't an artifact of the recording process, but rather an inherent part of their sound. Their upbeat brand of electro-laced pop-rock is what they're known for and they manage to bring it from the studio to the stage. None of their six members missed a single beat, and they made it look easy. The addition of a second keyboard player/auxiliary percussionist worked wonders on newer, more rhythm-heavy numbers like "Lasso" and "Girlfriend." It's not often you see a band member whose sole purpose in a song is to keep count on his own, lonely hi-hat.

Vocalist Thomas Mars shined in the Paradise's intimate setting and did so with charisma. He even wandered into the crowd during the extended outro of closer "1901," at the expense of a stagehand who guide a terribly long mic cable through throngs of gyrating concertgoers. "Thank you; merci beaucoup," he repeated throughout the night, having to try harder and harder to fight the exuberant crowd's cheers.

The more seasoned Phoenix fans were clearly distinguished from the casual newbie's when the classics came out - "If I Ever Feel Better" as an encore. It was a serious crowd-pleaser, especially for the die-hards, but no one was excluded from having a great time. In fact, the dancing and singing seemed to continue all throughout the night, briefly pausing only for the long-winded instrumental suite, "Love Like A Sunset." And if by chance you weren't a fan when you walked into the Paradise, odds are you left as one.

-          Mike Moschetto