Cold War Kids makes plans to return

Each time Cold War Kids’ bassist Matt Maust came to the edge of the stage, Ivy Tech junior Dan Jones and his friends thrust their palms forward — face up — and shouted at him.

Near the beginning of the set, Maust had playfully reacted to Jones and his friends’ taunts by kicking their upturned palms.

For the rest of the show, the bunch turned repeatedly to one another, yelling, “He does kick. He does kick.”

“(It was a) spur of the moment type of deal. That’s all that is,” Jones said. “You could tell that they get into it as much as the crowd does. It’s really cool. Spur of the moment — put it up and get your hand kicked.”

This spontaneity permeated the audience. As soon as the band stepped foot on The Bluebird Nightclub stage Wednesday, the crowd — a mixture of all types, from hipsters to professors — broke into loud cheering and shoved, beer bottles in hand, toward the front of the tightly packed, dimly lit room.

Apart from a brief introduction, scattered thank-yous and comments about its first show in Bloomington, the band didn’t say much else. But they didn’t have to. Fans knew every word to all 19 songs played and sang along from start to finish.

“Every song that I didn’t like as much on Pandora, or any CD version — tonight was amazing,” senior Andrew Ashton said. “My favorite song they played tonight, even though it’s not my favorite song they created, was ‘Hang Me Up To Dry.’ Live is 10 times better.”

The band played a medley of old favorites and new hits from 10 p.m. to midnight. A continuous stream of sound, the show was marked with thumping bass beats, down-home rock melodies and frontman Nathan Willett’s soaring vocals, which was amplified by dance moves from the crowd.

The band complemented its standard musical composition with percussive instruments.

Bringing the set to an end as dynamic as its start, guitarist Jonnie Russell excited fans with “Hospital Beds” as he jumped while hitting a cymbal with a pair of mustard-colored maracas.

The only time band members paused to breathe was for a technical glitch. As Willett reconnected wires with the help of a stagehand and other members wandered around the spacious platform, ever-supportive fans continued to cheer through the silence.
“Are we doing our own stunts?” Willett said jokingly.

“We were overcoming engineering obstacles here. We’ll also fix your car in the parking lot if you wanted,” Willett said as he took his seat back at the keyboard.

When a beige bra was tossed onstage, Willett, Maust and Russell glanced down and retreated from it. The singing and cheering quietened down as the audience waited for a reaction, before a stagehand swooped in with a kitchen towel and picked the bra off the ground.

Formed in 2004, the seasoned band seemed unfazed by the crowd’s actions and requests. Nevertheless, the band members remained accessible, talking and posing for pictures with fans in front of their tour bus after the show.

“We’re like really spoiled right now,” said Colin Caulfield, lead vocalist of opening band Young Man. “The Cold War Kids guys are really, really awesome. Super nice. Just taking care of us in unique ways. If we ever run into trouble, they’re really supportive. And they lend a hand, which is great, because they’re a huge band, you know?”

Young Man garnered much support from existing fans and first-time listeners, with its ambient folk sound during its set.

Corey Staton, a Brightpoint, Inc. business analyst working in Indianapolis, drove to Bloomington especially to see Young Man live. The 6-footer stood out in the crowd as he yelled cheers and fist-pumped.

“I’ll be here for Dr. Dog on Friday,” said Staton. “My wife is really good about letting me come for these shows.”

This is the first show in Bloomington for both Young Man and Cold War Kids. But fans can cling on to the hope of a second showing soon.

“A hundred percent. A plus,” Maust said of his plans to return to town. “I think (the crowd is) lively, smiley
and loud.”