Foster the People • Good Neighbors • February 11, 2025 • The Union
Reviewed and Photographed by Morgan Newbold
Last week at The Union Event Center, Foster the People played a loooong-awaited headline show on their Paradise State of Mind tour, returning to Salt Lake City after 7 years! I was really stoked to see them for the first time! They’ve been a staple band for me since I was in middle school, and I know many people who attended were probably also seeing them for the first time. They just released their 4th album last summer, ‘Paradise State of Mind’. This one is such a feel-good, psychedelic, and pure Foster the People-sounding record.
It’s got a bit of Tame Impala and Glass Animals feel to it as well. As fans turned up to the venue, I could tell there were many young new fans. Most Gen-Z and millennial fans grew up knowing songs from Torches, their 2011 debut album, but their amazing follow-up records are still bringing in new listeners, and their live shows always go crazy and are a pure celebration for indie dance music.
Foster the People was started in 2009 by Mark Foster and drummer Mark Pontius, and now includes a few touring musicians and keyboardist Isom Innis, who joined in 2011. Foster’s career was jump-started when their 2010 single “Pumped Up Kicks went viral and charted the Billboard Top 100. It quickly became a radio hit and indie pop classic. Soon after, they released their beloved debut album Torches. They’ve toured only a handful of times since then, but 4 albums in, they are still selling out venues across the world and playing massive festivals.
Good Neighbors
When I arrived at the venue on a frigid mid-February evening, it was packed —a sold-out show on a Tuesday. I was eager to see the whole production and hear some of my favorite songs from my teen years. The opening band, a UK duo called Good Neighbours, kicked off the night with some poppy electric tunes. I really enjoyed their vibe and energy. Though they were nearly engulfed in stage haze and magenta light, I got some good shots of the two rocking out. Spunky and dancing around, they ignited the crowd’s anticipation and excitement for the performance ahead of them.
Foster the People
When Foster the People took the stage, the long strip lights at the back flickered red and the humming bass swelled. As the stage floor filled with smoke and the supporting musicians took their positions —the crowd erupted in cheers. They were jumping around and waving. Mark was the last one to walk on. What a cool-looking guy, rocking a leather jacket. He smiled and waved to the crowd. The lights and haze were so prominent that I couldn’t help but try to capture the whole stage most of the night. Their lighting throughout the hour-and-a-half set was very colorful and illuminated every musician on the stage, although the drummer was tucked in the corner.
The lights lining the back really made each person pop in my shots. I loved it, I’ve seen a couple bands over the years use this visual.
They started the set with “Feed Me”, from their new album. Their energy right off the bat was so tangible. Mark danced across the stage and made sure to get close to everyone down at the front and look up at the people on the balcony, which was also tightly packed with about 3 rows of people surrounding every railing. With the occasional flickering strobes and the haze built up around Mark’s feet, it looked ethereal. He was essentially floating on a cloud at times during the beginning of the show.
Foster the People played multiple bangers from each album, and some of my favorites from their debut like “Call It What You Want”, “Houdini” and “A Beginner’s Guide” to “Destroying” the Moon, from their 2nd album Supermodel. Halfway through the set, he introduced the next song as being a very sentimental one and played their 2020 single ‘Lambs Wool’, which is one of my top 3 favorite songs by them. It was so beautiful. Towards the end of the set, they pulled out more classics and finished with their most popular songs ‘Sit Next to Me and ‘Pumped up Kicks’, which got everyone dancing. I would totally see these guys again. They have such authentic energy and love for the music and the fans and put on a fantastic performance. Catch them as they finish up their tour on the East Coast and in Texas!
