Vitruvian Soul Shines At A&R Music Bar
Saturday night in Columbus during the first week of September brought with it no shortage of options. A clueless wanderer need only turn their head to see, within minutes of each other, a sold out show at Kemba Live!, a Clippers game, a Crew game, a Weezer concert at Nationwide Arena, and an OSU football game. And yet, a dedicated crowd gathered to sell out Vitruvian Soul's headlining show at A&R Music Bar. One song in, and it was easy to tell why.
*All photos by Caitlyn Tarney
On their hometown turf, a Vitruvian Soul show somehow feels simultaneously like an intimate get-together and a spectacular performance. And if you’re wondering how both are possible at once, allow me to describe the show.
From the second the intro blended seamlessly into the opener, “Second Life,” the audience was pulled into an alternate reality. The time-travel device on the side of the stage (I made the mistake of thinking it was simply an old TV) transported us from the electric opener to cinematic pop-influenced songs, and everything in between. No song sounded quite like the last, keeping me on my toes as I experienced the joy of my first Vitruvian Soul show. Clearly not content to let the band have all the fun, the crowd jumped from song to song as effortlessly as the band themselves, be it an unreleased song or The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside.” And the enthusiasm was not lost on the band. Rewards for energy included one of two singers in your face, crowd-surfing on top of you, or running through the crowd beside you.
With such a tremendous display of talent and performance, complete with a sci-fi storyline, a lack of personalization could be excused. Never to be caught slacking, however, of course Vitruvian Soul would not be guilty of this. Technical difficulties (to be expected with a time-travel device on stage) led to a riveting conversation with the crowd about drinks of choice. One lucky fan’s request to go home with the chair on stage was met with approval. And I can only hope that this chair, passed in the air from person to person, becomes a story told to every guest of this fan’s home.
At the end of our time-travel journey, one that concluded with Vitruvian Soul’s “Always In Love,” I for one had decided: This was the most worthwhile of Columbus’s Saturday night festivities. With a dynamic musical performance, charming personalities, and boundless energy, I’ll be keeping my eyes on Vitruvian Soul. And I suggest you do too, lest you miss the rise of the greatest alternative pop band to come out of our very own Columbus, Ohio.
For more photos from the show, view the full gallery.