I saw the first Future Islands fan rush the stage at the end of “Corner of My Eye,” which closed out the band’s main set at The Shrine on Wednesday night. The way I remember it, which may or may not be 100% accurate, Samuel T. Herring was singing “thank you, thank you.” Someone in a plaid shirt ran up from audience’s right hand side and embraced the singer. Security appeared. Herring said something along the lines of, it’s okay. Later on, when Future Islands and openers Oh, Rose were in the midst of a “Vireo’s Eye” dance party during the encore, I saw two more people hop on to the stage, where they were promptly chased off by security. It was a déjà vu-inducing scene for me, and maybe for anyone else in the crowd who has been to a Morrissey show. 

It was a fitting end to the night because, nearly two hours earlier, when Future Islands kicked off the show with “King of Sweden,” I thought, this vibe is so Morrissey. Herring has a different style of performance than Moz— there’s a good amount of HIIT-level cardio happening during a Future Islands show— but he also taps into a similar level of intensity that is infectious. The teenage girls in front of me bopped up and down excitedly. The totally ordinary looking dudes a few rows in front morphed into dancing machines. I wondered if anyone would rush the stage. It took a while, but they did. 

Thirteen rows back, in the center of the orchestra pit, is an ideal spot to watch a concert. You’re close enough to see the sweat on stage, but not close enough to feel it. After nearly an hour of jumping, kicking and writhing while darting back and forth across the stage, Herring’s black t-shirt was shiny with sweat. He disappeared from the stage momentarily and then returned, still drenched, for another hour on stage. 

The best thing about this vantage point in the pit, though, is that you can watch the fans as well as the band, which, for me, is the only way to properly see a show. The fans at this Future Islands show, at least the ones sitting near me, weren’t casual ones. They got really into “Swept Inside,” a very New Order-ish song from the band’s second album, In Evening Air. Herring noted that it wasn’t until this tour that they added the tune to their set list. And, judging from the level of head-nodding, they were already pretty familiar with “Glimpse,” which had been out for only two weeks.  

The energy maintained high throughout the night. It peaked during the bangers, like “For Sure” and “Seasons (Waiting on You),” but there weren’t any long lulls in the crowd. Songs from People Who Aren’t There Anymore— particularly “Give Me the Ghost Back”— did as well as the older material, which is saying a lot for a band that’s been around for more than 15 years. For much of the show, there was a crowd dancing in the aisle of the pit closest to where I was sitting and the front rows were moving in unison. 

One of my favorite elements of the show, though, was the stage design. On the audience’s left hand side was drummer Michael Lowry. On the audience’s right side, there was a platform designed to look like a minimalist building. Keyboardist Gerrit Welmers played on top of that structure and bassist William Cashion was off to the side of it on the stage. 

In the middle of the stage was a white orb. As the lights changed, both the orb and the screen behind the band would transform, giving the show a completely different vibe. At times, it looked like a moonlit night, with shadows of the band members creating an eerie image on screen reminiscent of Nosferatu. On occasion, the orb took on a Martian red-orange glow. Other times, it was swathed in fuchsia or blue light. When the show came to its finale, the screen lifted to reveal the theater’s backstage under plain lights. All this was a good way to keep the audience engaged and ensure that the whole band is visible throughout the performance. It looked like it was designed with Instagram videos in mind, but it was done thoughtfully and was equally effective in both the real world and digital space.

Liz O. is an L.A.-based writer and DJ. Read her recently published work and check out her upcoming gigs.

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