People approached the Fonda Theater on the night of November 16—many with their faces colored in bright pastel paint and obscure symbols. Passerbys wondered what drugs these people were on. The answer is simple: the music of Walk the Moon. 

Emerging in 2010 as a hometown Cincinnati band, Walk the Moon did not start experiencing mainstream success until this past summer when “Anna Sun” was released and the music video was an instant hit.

Since then, they have played numerous shows in Southern California, as well as tour with the band Fun.

Walk the Moon includes witty lead singer Nicholas Petricca, alluring bassist Kevin Ray, eccentric guitarist Eli Maiman and humorist drummer Sean Waugaman. 

A band is notorious for their indie-pop and upbeat lyrics, Walk the Moon certainly did not disappoint Friday night. The band’s energy was indescribable—it radiated from the stage and transcended through the crowd.

Though it was cold and rainy outside, inside was anything but. There was dancing, screaming, swaying, and most of all sweating from a venue that seemed to insulate everyone’s body heat.

If attendees weren’t busy gawking at Kevin during the hour set, they were probably singing along to one of the suggestively sexual tracks. People of all kinds—young middle schoolers, men that looked old enough to be grandfathers, normal families, and the typical hipsters—were all in attendance. It is obvious Walk the Moon’s music translates through all ages. 

Walk the Moon performs live at the Fonda Theater. (Jillian Morabito/Neon Tommy)

The opening band was Family of the Year and they were superb performers, with adorable lyrics and soothing vocals.

Songs such as “Everytime” and “In the End” immediately engaged the crowd, even if everyone didn’t know the lyrics. At the end of their set, Family of the Year professed the crowd was among the best they’ve ever had. 

As the lights dimmed, the crowd roared and chanted for the Cincinnati based band, who walked out in tacky 90’s clothing e.g. Kevin’s cheetah pants. Of course, they all donned paint on their faces.

Walk the Moon began their set with a vocally strong “Liftaway” and followed soon after with the quintessential concert jam in “Quesidilla.” “Next in Line” also received huge applause from the crowd, most likely due to the engagement of the band with the concert-goers.

Constantly saying thanking the crowd for attending and prompting various claps and sing-alongs, Walk the Moon knew how to make the crowd have fun. It wasn’t a concert where you simply go to watch the band, but rather one in which you feel truly connected, as if the band having a good time and genuinely wants to be there.

Also, the members are extremely genuine and personable, which just adds to their overall charm. 

A personal favorite, “Shiver Shiver” was welcomed with screamed and off-key attempts to try and sing along to the chorus. Every single person was on their feet, dancing and singing about such quivers described in the song.

“Tightrope” was the point in the concert where the energy was completely harnessed; the jumping was uniform enough to nearly feel like an earthquake. 

Walk the Moon also played previously unreleased tracks, much to the delight of the crowd. One such track was “Drunk in the Woods,” the band played because die-hard fans go on Youtube to listen to the song. In turn, a majority was actually able to sing the lyrics, while everyone else simply enjoyed the beats.

“Young Shoes” was very special in that it was a new song the band wrote on tour that they were debuting at this concert. With upbeat drums mixed with a synthetic keyboard and more innuendo lyrics, Walk the Moon seemed to have done it again based on the reaction of the crowd.

“Anna Sun” of course was probably the biggest hit with the fans. Though this is the most well-known song the band didn’t alter their energy just because of that; the cheerful song about young, starving love immediately was welcomed with overwhelming applause.

As the bass rumbled through the walls, the Fonda was occupied by fans belting the catchy lyrics at the top of their lungs. The build of “wait for summertime” was perfection; it generated enough vigor, giving goosebumps to those around me and well as making everyone wish it was June and not November. 

Other memorable moments include the chorus of “Lisa Baby” when everyone shouts, “When my baby is a mess my baby is a dancing queen” because Nick made sure everyone had their hands high and the lyrics memorized.

“Blue Dress” from the “i want, i want” album generated a surprising amount of buzz from the crowd even though that album isn’t well known. “Fixin’” was also another fantastic number; Nick kept pointing the microphone towards the fans allowing them to sing the refrain “Just walk by my side.”

Also, “Iscariot” is another favorite among fans and it surely didn’t disappoint. The song itself is passionate enough, and when wind blew from behind the band, the performance felt almost dreamlike, with everyone’s emotions released in the intimate setting. The repeat of “You know you had it comin’ my friend my friend” was almost as raw and intense as it could’ve ever sounded.

The encore tune Walk the Moon performed was “I Can Lift a Car.” Very simple lyrics accompanied with the encouragement of Nick to “lift” all your burdens away that night was the flawless way to end the night.

Typical of most indie bands, Walk the Moon was absolutely fantastic in concert. It didn’t matter what girl they were singing about because all their music is unique in their own way and they performed it with enough energy to radiate even as countless attendees exited the concert asserting, “That was perfect” over and over again. 

To see them live, Walk the Moon will be performing at KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas on December 8th.

Read more of NT's show reviews here.

Reach Staff Reporter Jillian Morabito here.