Cold War Kids, WATERS & Avid Dancer bring the fun to Fox Theater Oakland

Cold War Kids with WATERS, Avid Dancer //
Fox Theater Oakland – Oakland
October 21st, 2014 //

Friday night’s show began with fans trickling in as the first opener, Avid Dancer, took the stage. Stoic front man Jacob Dillan Summers gave a solid performance that held the attention of the crowd, and even garnered loud cheers as the band returned to the stage after the set to retrieve their equipment. They seemed a bit stiff though, sticking close to their mic stands like a baby cub to its momma bear. This was especially evident as Summers concluded the show with a The Who-inspired guitar slam, which looked more like an apathetic drop. That said, they were still entertaining.

Local talent-on-the-rise WATERS was up next and actually drew more media to the photo pit than Cold War Kids. Flowers embellished the stage as the SF locals woo’ed the audience with their engaging banter. Towards the end of the set they led a sing along, encouraging fans to literally ‘Woo” to the tune of “I Feel Everything” – it was a nice touch. It was also a great set, and fun to shoot.

*Side note, someone left a water bottle on the stage so I tried to get the band and the bass drum in a shot together. See for yourself below. I thought it was super clever, though some may disagree.

After some time between sets, fans pried their eyeballs from their cellphones to take in the experience provided courtesy of Cold War Kids. The stage featured a backdrop of a giant Skeleton, which changed colors throughout the show. Things really picked up with “Hang Me Out to Dry”, which was played about halfway through the set.

Subsequent songs were met with loud cheers, which might lead one to believe the half-full (or half-empty, depending on your disposition) venue was actually sold out. For those who did make it out to the Fox Theater – Oakland on Friday night, they got exactly what they wanted.

Editor’s Note: James Nagel is a Bay Area Photographer that writes from a mostly visual POV because, well, that’s what he enjoys.