Future Islands San Diego

Itโ€™s OK if you want to say that youโ€™re not a Future Islands fan. Itโ€™s OK if you want to say that they arenโ€™t your favorite band. But donโ€™t you dare ever say that Sam Herring canโ€™t dance.

After fifteen years, six full-length releases, and relentless touring throughout, Future Islands have earned the recognition of a canโ€™t miss live act. And after viewing the amazing combination of quick and tightly performed dance grooves with Herringโ€™s chaotic and otherworldly abilities as a frontman, I can confidently say that it made for a seriously unforgettable night.

Future Islands San Diego

Before Future Islands emerged from backstage, Olympia Washingtonโ€™s Oh, Rose took the stage to deliver an awesome batch of dream pop-infused indie tunes that turned many a head, mine included. And then it was time.

Future Islands San Diego

The set list for the night was a treat for new and old Future Islands fans. They performed seven tracks off their last record โ€œAs Long As You Areโ€ including the bass-driven Born in a War, the dreamy Moonlight, and the heart-wrenching Thrill which closed out their initial set. They also performed at least two tracks each from their first five albums. Some came as no surprise like their mega-smash Seasons (Waiting on You) from โ€œSinglesโ€ or the early single Tin Man from โ€œIn Evening Air.โ€ Other songs were dedicated to their die-hard fans like the song โ€œBeach Foamโ€ off of Wave Like Home which Herring said was so old โ€œit was almost the name of the band,โ€ or the early nonalbum track โ€œIn the Fallโ€ which Herring said was usually not performed until October for obvious reasons.

All this equated to a twenty-two track set list that lasted nearly two hours. The stamina of the group was for lack of a better word, insane. Especially with Herring running, sliding, sweating (sweating), jumping and performing roughly fifteen short dance routines that could easily be transformed into tik-toksโ€ฆ it was all truly a sight to behold.

Photos by: Rachel Frank
Review by: Michael Brogan
ListenSD