Even sitting inside the quaint little cafe a block from the Fox theater, it was apparent which of the Oakland pedestrians were there to see the Of Monsters and Men concert. Wearing Urban Outfitters and thrifted clothes from head to toe, indie fans almost skipped to the venue, beaming. I finished my sandwich and coffee at the Fat Cat cafe — a lovely little restaurant that is kind to your wallet — and entered the busy city streets as the restaurant owner’s voice faded off in the background

“Have fun at the concert honey; you’re so lucky,” she said.

Apparently her daughter had been trying to get tickets to the same show, which was 10 seats shy of being sold out.

Thanks to the seated theater, lines were not an issue. Fans started entering the theater as early as 6:30 p.m., an hour before the show was set to start. The old, yet regal venue looked out of place next to the run-down, bankrupted stores surrounding it. I climbed the stairs to the balcony, surprised at the sea of empty seats in front of me. Having only been to General Admission concerts before, I expected the venue to be packed, but since a majority of the fans were seated, time was not an issue.

The venue was still half empty at 7:30 p.m. when the opening act, Half Moon Run, came on. Starting relatively promptly, those who ran late missed a majority of their show. With a sound similar to that of Little Hurricane, the Canadian band Half Moon Run was a pleasant surprise. The few fans who were on time bobbed their heads and clapped along to the beat. Not only was the band’s sound impressive, but every member of the band knew how to play multiple instruments and showcased their talent during the performance. With such a great opening act, my expectations for the concert were high. I have been a fan of Of Monsters and Men ever since I heard Little Talks on radio KKDO 94.7. Unfortunately, they did not meet my expectations

There was a good hour between Half Moon Run and Of Monsters and Men where dreadful opera played in the background. The same two foreign songs were on repeat for 60 minutes. I was ready to pull my hair out. The fans that had already arrived sat patiently, eyeing the seats in front of them that could have been theirs. It didn’t matter what the time was or how many people were rushing in through the doors, the venue still seemed empty. Though I was worried about the popularity of the show, I took this as an opportunity to “upgrade” my seats. As soon as the ushers were preoccupied with lost concert fanatics, I slyly walked to the section of seats in front of me and managed to move from row S — where I was supposed to be — to row M, where the view was much better. However, to the venue’s credit, the sound was impeccable in all parts of the theater.

An hour after the opening act left the stage, Of Monsters and Men made an appearance. However, fans — who now packed the venue — grew disgruntled as a white tarp covered the stage from floor to ceiling, hiding the band. Shadows of lead singers Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir and Ragnar þórhallsson could be seen moving about as the opera grew louder and louder. Finally, 30 minutes later, we could hear the sweet strum of a guitar.

White tarp still concealed the band as they sang the lyrics to Dirty Paws, the first track on their album My Head is an Animal. The song progressed for a good minute with the white tarp still shielding them. And then the drums came in. As soon as the boom of the drum could be heard, the tarp dropped revealing the much anticipated Of Monsters and Men. Howls, whistles and screams could be heard throughout the crowd. However, despite the loving welcome, the audience remained seated for a majority of the show. Concerned and confused I turned around only to realize I was surrounded by middle aged married couples who were probably wearing ear plugs. All the teenagers I had seen decked out in overpriced ripped T-shirts were stuck all the way in the back where the cheapest seats were. Regardless of the fans’ ages, the ambiance of weed and beer radiated through the theater.

The band continued to play music from their latest album, wooing the audience with songs such as “Mountain Sound,” “Your Bones,” “Love Love Love,” “King and Lionheart” and more. Unfortunately, as great as the sound was, the concert atmosphere lacked the oomph that took it from watching their videos on Youtube to actually seeing them live. There was little to no audience interaction aside from Hilmarsdóttir hopping about on stage and occasionally going onto the steps to say hi to fans. þórhallsson made no attempt to interact with the audience, staying in one spot on stage for a majority of the show. It almost seemed as though Hilmarsdóttir was the only one making any effort to spice it up as she added a few jokes and fillers here and there in between songs. Despite her efforts to make the concert actually feel like a concert, the show seemed rushed. They just went through the album’s tracklist playing one song after the other without stopping. It was almost as if I could have gotten the same experience playing their album in a room with surround sound. The little aspects that make a concert great — interaction with fans, an audience that is excited to be there, and an ending that keeps you wanting more — just wasn’t there. I cheered with hope when the band played a cover of the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s song Skeletons, praying that this would be their segway to making the show memorable. Unfortunately, aside from the cover and an unreleased song called Beneath My Back about þórhallsson’s neighbor, the show lacked enthusiasm. It wasn’t until they played “Six Weeks” which they intended to be the finale that fans stood up clapping and cheering. Confetti fell from the ceiling finally revealing the excitement I was anticipating the whole night. The song was perfect for the finale — upbeat, engaging, but everyone knew that wasn’t the end.

The band exited the stage leaving the fans howling and cheering for an encore.Ten minutes later, the band came back on playing Numb Bears. The lineup which was fine until now really started going downhill. An encore—  which should be upbeat and energetic since that would be the true finale, lacked the enthusiasm I was expecting. They followed Numb Bears, one of their slowest songs with a “remix” of Little Talks (which was the same song played slower) and ended the concert with Yellow Light. I was really disappointed that they didn’t save one of their more upbeat songs for the true finale. I left the concert feeling somber,  which is never a good thing, in my opinion.

Even though it seemed like the band lacked material, since they were new and only have one released album, I am still a huge fan. The audio quality was amazing live, there was barely a difference between the studio produced track and their live performance. I would recommend going to an Of Monsters and Men concert, just know that you’re not going to be jumping up and down the whole night.

by ILAF ESUF