After a seven-year wait for a new album from indie pop hitmakers Foster the People, Friday night’s crowd at the Hollywood Palladium enthusiastically proved that absence does indeed make the heart grow fonder.
The band, known for hits like “Pumped Up Kicks” and “Sit Next to Me,” was back on tour supporting last year’s album “Paradise State of Mind,” their first since 2017. On Friday, a second Palladium show added due to demand, fans were eager to hear songs new and old, each of which drew claps and gasps of excitement when the opening chords were played.
Thousands danced to newer songs like “Lost in Space” alongside earlier hits like “Don’t Stop (Color on the Walls),” visibly enjoying the band’s return to the stage.
The many who showed up early to grab a spot also delighted in opening act Good Neighbours’ set. The British duo and their backing band built the energy in a room that was already near capacity before showtime, debuting a new track they said was written only two weeks ago and cajoling the crowd into a sing-along on another chorus before ending with their debut track and biggest hit, last year’s “Home.”
The high-energy act, which also involved singer Oli Fox playing a drum of his own and the whole band freezing in place mid-song, drew wows from the crowd and set the tone for the performance by Mark Foster and his FTP bandmates.
By the time Foster, who’s donating money from the show to relief efforts from the L.A. wildfires, belted out “Houdini” and asked “what you want, what you need, what’d you come here for?,” that answer appeared to be a musical release from one of the toughest months in Los Angeles’ history.
Fortunately, at the Palladium Friday night, that’s exactly what they found.