ACL Live Shot: Foster the People

At twilight on Friday, the raw energy of Foster the People made any spot in view of the Samsung stage a good one. Drummer Mark Pontius kicked off opener “Are You Who You Want to Be?” from the trio’s relentlessly cheery sophomore release, Supermodel. With his tight percussion and frontman Mark Foster’s manic vocals, the crowd was suitably incited.

The energetic Californians made delicate phrases tongue twisters. They blend crisp pop vocals with near hip-hop timing on the dynamic “Call It What You Want,” from 2011 debut Torches. The chorus and sly bass line of “Waste” turn it into the kind of tune you want to sing along to even if you don’t quite know the words.

Halfway through their set, the sun began its descent and a breeze sent a shiver of relief through the crowd. Sans guitar and swimming in synth, the frontman swayed with pure bliss. It was contagious.

“All of you in the golden light hour,” mused the frontman more to himself than anyone else.

Atmosphere aside, Foster’s domination of both sides of the stage kept him in sync with the crowd even when his banter didn’t always hit the mark. Everything aligned when the drum beats from morbid breakout hit “Pumped Up Kicks” sounded. Pigtails in the audience jumped.

Taking a four-minute detour through the mind of a homicidal teenager shouldn’t be so much fun. It wasn’t the last song, but it’s the one everyone will remember.