The reviews are in for Rogers Presents: Live At Much W/ Foster The People!

December 2nd, 2011

When we found out that one of the biggest bands in the world was coming to MuchMusic to play a full hour and talk to host Lauren Toyota, we knew we needed some back up to help us cover this huge event. We sent out word that we were looking for bloggers and in return found four awesome writers to fly to Toronto and expereince Rogers Presents: Live At Much w/ Foster The People in person! Check out what Mike, Jessica, Jonathan and Kendra had to say about the show after the jump!

Missed Rogers Presents: Live At Much w/ Foster The People? Watch it here!

Jonathan – TheBrokenSpeaker.com

When a band pops out of nowhere and explodes onto the music scene based on a couple hit singles, it is hard to predict what a full show will be like. Leading up to Rogers Presents: Live At Much w/ Foster The People, there was an electric energy of excitement as people gathered inside the Much studios and huddled together outside the open wall. The audience got what they were looking for as the five members of Foster of the People delivered an energetic set of songs.

Being the last day of November, the guys were all sporting their finest upper lip shadow Movember attire. The band looked poised and collected, unfazed by all the spotlights and cameras set to capture the live televised event. Perhaps it helped that the band worked out a few kinks earlier in the afternoon during soundcheck, including Mark Foster stumbling backwards, taking a slow motion spill as he tripped over a fellow band member and equipment. With five keyboards at the bands disposal, they were able to create a wall of sound that kept the songs danceable at all times.

Now of course, everybody was looking forward to the catchy whistle anthem of the year, Pumped up Kicks. Even if you’ve heard the song a million times, you wouldn’t have expected it to be as fun as it was. An extended club like outro featuring cowbell capped off the night with a bang.

Overall, the band put on a smooth show. Perfect sound and flawless transitioning between different instruments showed that the band have put a lot of time into such an entertaining show. Foster the People have proved that they are not just a one hit band, but rather an exciting band that have multiple tricks up their sleeves. They know how to keep the crowd dancing, singing, whistling and smiling.

Mike, PlanetShhh

MuchMusic and Rogers recently gave me the opportunity to head out to Toronto to cover Rogers Presents: Live At Much w/ Foster The People. I jumped at the chance!

From the first song in, FTP had the crowd eating out of their hands with their hook-laden pop intricacies. I haven’t seen such an energetic performance in a long time. Hips were shaken, hands were clapped, and the starry-eyed fans were singing their hearts out. Mark Foster would occasionally take a break from vocal duties and add another level to the percussion by playing a floor tom tete-a-tete Mark Pontius. You could tell these delves into additional drums were rehearsed, but not in a way where it was gimmicky, it flowed perfectly and definitely added to the live show. Besides FTP being able to pull off a great sounding show, the band was incredibly tight during their hour long performance. In my opinion, the highlight of the evening took place within the last few minutes of their final song, Pumped Up Kicks, where they dove into a live remix of the track, then proceeded to switch up the drumming to half-time (yeah, I’m a music nerd, so what?). All in all, it was a great night and I can now officially call myself a fan of FTP.

I’d like to give a huge thanks to MuchMusic and Rogers for the chance to be a part of this event, your generosity will not be forgotten.

Kendra, VanCityPretty.com

Wednesday night’s Foster the People show at MuchMusic included much screaming, much dancing, much jumping, and most importantly, much fun.

I had the honor of going to their soundcheck before the show, which was energetic and animated. If that’s how they performed with an audience of 20, I was looking forward to their performance with an audience full of screaming fans. FTP did not disappoint; they were all smiles and looked like they were having as much fun as the audience was.

It was refreshing to see that they each have the ability to the play more than one instrument, which seems to be a dying skill among musicians today. Mark Foster repeatedly pumped up the audience by venturing offstage and into the pit of screaming fans. During the set breaks, Lauren Toyota interviewed the men of the hour, and they talked about superstitions, tattoos, and life on the road.

They played seven songs in total, and thanks to their enthusiasm and drive, there wasn’t a dull moment the entire show. The show ended with Pumped Up Kicks, which featured a breakdown, complete with strobe lights, copious amounts of Mark’s charismatic dancing, and a big ol’ cowbell. What better way to end a performance in one of Canada’s greatest cities?

Jessica, TalkingWhenWeDanceSoGood.Tumblr

Well, it has definitely been an eventful three days! I’m currently sitting in the hotel lobby waiting for my car to come and take me to the airport for my flight back to Ottawa. Its not too often that opportunities to do something you truly love come around, and when they do you have to make the absolute best of them and enjoy each and every moment! I spent the last two nights sleeping in the most amazing bed, in a huge spectacular room, that I highly doubt I will ever experience again, ordered my first room service, and truly relaxed. I separated myself from all the finals prep waiting for me back in O-Town and truly had an AMAZING time here in Toronto.

The Foster the People concert was everything I could have imagined it to be. For a band that I already knew was absolutely spectacular I was completely and totally blown away by their performance, and the energy they were able to bring. I met two very very sweet girls who I had tweeted about earlier in the day who had stood outside since 9 am yelling “WE LOVE YOU FOSTER THE PEOPLE”, who were lucky enough to receive two free wristbands too the show, being deemed two of Foster the Peoples most dedicated fans! The opportunity to go to MuchMusic and see the set up of the show, and get a small idea of what the employees and interns do there on a daily basis, and the magic they get to be a part of, solidifies my thoughts about wanting to work or intern at a place such as MuchMusic, where what I love (music) would be a part of my every day. There is nothing comparable to the energy you feel when walking into a concert, full of people just like you, and for an hour or two, all you have to do is listen… and somehow everything just makes sense. Foster the People are one of those bands. Their songs unique but relatable and everyone has a life experience to go with each. It was the best concert I have been too in a very VERY long time, and I am definitely going to see Foster the People again, soon! Thanks again to MuchMusic and Rogers for making this opportunity possible!

Missed Rogers Presents: Live At Much w/ Foster The People? Watch it here!

Tags: Foster the People, Review, Rogers Presents Live At Much w/ Foster The People