There are specific things about a live show that define a band. If you become noticed for keeping your show fresh and interactive, that’s something that sticks with people for a long time. A four year layout between albums has not taken away from Mutemath’s strength or imagination. In support for their recently released album, Vitals, the band brought out some new wrinkles within their live show and performed some old favorites. Coincidentally, this year marks the tenth anniversary of their self-titled album which made me a devoted fan. With that, I caught them on the Into The Wild tour in 2010 in Philadelphia opening for 30 Seconds To Mars. If anybody is familiar with their older stage show, it would end with “Break The Same” that had the band break out into an infectious jam session.
The live element of a band is a huge part of why I like a band so much. Mutemath, in ways only particular to themselves, puts their heart in every single performance. Within the crowd in New York, there were many older fans who had been following Mutemath since their inception like myself. It was also like a reunion of sorts. The good kind where you save an cool, casual outfit just in case you see that person you were thinking about for years. Lead singer/keyboardist Paul Meany called it “spots of energy.” As he was talking to the crowd, many were chanting for “Reset,” which is an instrumental jam that can be found on the Warner Brothers pressing of their self-titled album. Fans got their wish at the end of the show, but those spots of energy were reciprocated all night.
The show started off with a beautiful silhouette of lighting behind this light fixture. As the band got into their first song, “Stratosphere,” the first song off their newest album, lead singer Paul Meany sang behind the fixture with the lights that were perfectly singular with the lyrics. “Walking on air/living in the/stratosphere”. There were special quirks about this tour as well. Meany crowd surfed on a giant form platform during the finale of “Typical”. Drummer Darren King had fans become apart of the show with a sound maker that he tossed into the crowd and made them an active part of the show. Picture a cool museum exhibit with way better background music. The 21 song set had some old favorites thrown in like “Noticed” and what will be new songs to hold on to like “Light Up.” For a band that keeps their fingers on their own creative pulses, they also have a hold on an enduring fan base as well.
