Foxygen

Best goddamn show ever,we showed up after the Giants had lost the World Series game on Friday night and walked out happy as can be.

Energy and songs that moved and motivated the packed house to bop and mosh. If you weren't brave enough for that, you could easily retreat to the balcony or edges of the crowd. Very approachable bands, autographs and conversation made the whole nite perfect.

First time to this venue. If you like seeing bands in smaller settings, this place fits the bill. Foxygen is not a band for everyone but I was very entertained for what I paid for the show. Also the Williamsburg neighborhood has plenty to offer for pre and post game. I drove in and found a parking lot for about 15 bucks for over 6 hrs. I will definitely go see another show at the Music Hall of Williamsburg.

"Cold Winter, brought to you by Hot Summer" was one of the many non-sequitors Sam France uttered at Tuesday nights packed concert at Brooklyn's MHOW. France, and Jonathan Rado, are the duo behind Foxygen. They are, quite simply, a jubilant and eccentric collection of personalities, talents, egos... Well, that's just it. They cannot be defined "simply." "Partly truth/partly fiction... a walking contradiction." Those lyrics, written long ago by Kris Kristofferson, seem to capture the essence that is Foxygen. Are they the band that flaked out and cut several shows short at last years SXSW? Or are they the ambititious go-getters who announce not 1, but 3 forthcoming albums? They have had a Yoko Ono moment over the past few months. France broke his leg jumping off a monitor earlier this year forcing the cancellation of their fall tour. That was then. They may have saved their best, for last in 2013. It centered around 2 nights in New York City. Late October nights too: which meant a Halloween theme. Rado took the stage first, in a mad scientist outfit (with the name "Dr Love" on his lapel.) His high hair and pale complexion made the outfit quite convincing. He played with some knobs and set the mood for whatever the hell was coming next. A zombie janitor on guitar... a mummy behind the drum kit... and France, the master of ceremonies, was a spot on Beetlejuice. "It's Showtime" he dead panned. Indeed it was. This will most likely put a bow on shows promoting their trippy, groovy and aptly titled We are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace and Magic. With all the controversy, in-fighting and overall drama it might be best for these chaps to get back in the studio and see if they can make continue to make things work. Because when things are working- like Tuesday night- things are pretty freaking cool. The boys are clearly inspired by the 60s mod movement. "On Blue Mountain", with its bold organ, screeching vocals and laid back bass line, traces its roots to The Stones circa 1968. France's theatrics, here helped with an electronic walking cane, are also a nod to Mick Jagger. He was limited due to lingering effects from his leg injury, but he gamely roamed the stage. He likes the eyes on him. Tuesday he was overly thankful for those in attendance and any sort of rock star attitude was replaced with sincerity and a fun loving vibe. Peace, magic and some funky rock and roll. Theatre, goofiness and playful irreverence. Two of the finer moments were mid set. First, the bands live interpretation of "Shuggie" was a stand out. Their first single, released way back in January, allowed the band to show off a bit. France and Rado changed the momentum of the song in all the right spots. From one moment it was gospel sing-a-long. The next, guitar happy jam fest. It was hard to contain a smile and the crowd ate it up. "No Destruction" was important for other reasons. Mainly, the lyric "You don't have to be an as*hole anymore/You're not in Brooklyn anymore" appears in it. Also, the song is a timeless gem. 1965 meets 2013. Naturally the crowd (mostly non-Brooklyn as*holes) loved the shout out. And let's be honest, Brooklyn, although awesome, can be kinda pretentious. Foxygen knows that. They are too! If you can't laugh at yourself, who can you laugh at? For a night Foxygen will be remembered for all the right things. They may be wondering if they can do every gig in costume. Maybe they can be a cross between GWAR and The New York Dolls? Who knows if that will happen? Or if they will indeed head to the studio to make 3 more records. Hell, if they break up tomorrow no one will be surprised. Like a great many bands working today the future is tenuous, at best. Why should they be any different?

Great show, I've seen Foxygen a few time before but this was the best they've been yet. High energy throughout, never a dull moment. The expanded lineup including the horn section allowed them to perform the new album flawlessly and re-interpenetrate their earlier songs into the style of the new album.

Once again, this duo never disappoint. Horn section added some punch. They maintain cool ass energy and the place was lit. See-um.

Excellent energy! Amazing sound! I'm going to see them again in March!

absolute awesomeness.. excellent tunes, amazing performance by everyone on stage (9 people.. dude!). such a great show!

Tons of energy at this show. Band is tight . lead singer is out of control but crazy entertaining. Crowd got their moneys wort. Dub thompson the opener was a lot of fun..drummer was awesome...creative band great use of double cowbell.

This is a show. I've been to many shows and this would make my top 3.

This is the third Foxygen show I've been to and definitely the best I've seen so far. They get better and better with every tour and it's been amazing watching them grow from a little band opening for of Montreal that no one had heard of, to one of the most buzzed about acts around. The band's energy during the show was incredible, particularly frontman Sam France who had the crowd whipped into a frenzy right from the start. I love Foxygen's denser, more aggressive sound during their live performances, when combined with France's manic stage antics, makes for a crazy show. I also liked Foxygen's new expanded lineup that now includes two new guitar players and a trio of female backup singers. My only knock against this show was its length, including the encore with was only an hour with an eleven song set. But other than that, it was an amazing show with one of my favorite bands.

Super great and intense! The show was off the walls in the best way possible!

Awesome show, one of the best frontmen I've ever seen

So dope. Crazy energy / chemistry between bandmates.

The songs seemed very short. While they did dress up and make a little effort there just wasn't enough presence or passion while they played their music. Plus I heard minimal if any back up vocals.

I love these guys so much and the Halloween theme fit perfectly. There are so many different creative styles of music and I am glad they incorporated it into a huge show like this. I had an amazing time.

There were 2 openers - one of which who's mission was to sound as horrible as he possibly can. The second opener was a talented keyboard player but his songs were weird and not catch at all. But the biggest disappointment of the night was Foxygen themselves. I was expecting a mellow, yet spellbinding performance out of them. Well, instead of that I got a few people screaming on stage for an hour and a half. "San Francisco", the song which lured me into being a fan of Foxygen wasn't even performed because it seemed as though the lead singer thought he was too good to perform the one song that made him and his group worth listening to. There were no mellow tunes, just a bunch of songs that were not catchy or even remotely pleasant to listen to. I would never see them again.

Foxygen was great and Jungle Green was ok. But Ben Chatrer was so terrible it made me angry. I found myself on his website, about to send him an angry message demanding a partial refund for my ticket for making me live through his assault on the notions of music and satire. But Foxygen was awesome.

I really enjoyed seeing Foxygen live, I had only really listened to their album once or twice through, and knew it would be a great show. After a bit of technical difficulty, but much verbal appreciation from the band for our patience, the show began and inspired me to purchase the album straight away.

I really want this band to succeed. At their SXSW showcase, their artsy, pace-changing, multi-referential performance was compelling, with Sam France up front invoking Ray Davies-Jim Morrison-Eric Burdon, complete with bird shrieks, gyrations and facial expressions that hurt to watch... But two more SXSW shows, one lackluster and one featuring a long delay for set-up followed by an emotional [and irate] blow-up and storming off the stage by France, inconsistency seemed to be this band's forte. Still, the band still has plenty of 'buzz.' A sold-out crowd gathered to see the band's headline tour at Brighton Music Hall. The Crumbs got off the stage and the Foxygen set-up began --- 10 minutes became 20 minutes became 30 became 40, before the band came on, only to determine something wasn't right and leave the stage for another ten to fifteen minutes --- Foxygen needs to get its technical act together! Once on the stage to get started, France uttered a series of falsetto [double entendre!] apologies and praises to the crowd thanking us for our patience, and the band embarked on a thoroughly inconsistent set. The crowd enjoyed the performance on many levels. France's mutterings, whoops, and clownish antics and the multi-referential riffs, clever pace-changes and sentiments of their music evokes the 60s and 70s meshed with the ironic wit of the 21st Century. They are fun to watch and listen to, but the music frequently lacks straight ahead rock power --- the songs die out without providing a lot of oomph [to use a technical term]. I am still rooting for this band. France is a great performer with a lot of good creative instincts. France and Rado are only in their early twenties, and the band has had a lot of success thrown at them fast. The songs performed on You Tube are thoroughly enjoyable. I think that, in order to have staying power as a live touring band [assuming the band wants to perform live and tour], Foxygen, and France in particular, will have to do more than just show up and screech --- they will learn to prepare, perform and deliver the 'peace and magic' that Foxygen's album promises and that Foxygen has so much potential to deliver. Peace, out.

Wow-both bands were awful. Opening band Crumbs was like nails on the chalkboard, I left with a bunch of friends and waited outside until they were done. Foxygen was a major letdown-they took their sweet West Coast time getting on stage and didn't even have their shit together. They sounded messy and probably should have practiced more before they went on stage. It was a super letdown because their songs 'Shuggie' and 'San Francisco' are so stellar. They did play 'Shuggie' but after playing for it seemed like forever they didn't even play the damned song! I don't think I will see them again-they are a band to enjoy on home speakers, not live.

I love their album, but live, these guys were a mess. Hours in between songs kill any sense of momentum. They need to get tighter.