Both Fitz and the Tantrums and Capital Cities have spent the last year climbing to the top of the U.S. Alternative Rock and Top 100 charts. With their funky sounds fused with smooth rock rhythms, it came as little surprise when the bands announced they would be co-headlining a tour together this year. The Bright Futures tour kicked off on October 20 and will continue until the end of November, hitting small venues in major cities along the way.

I had the pleasure of seeing the two bands on October 30 at their first of two sold-out shows at the 9:30 Club. How did I nab tickets to this sold out show, you ask? Why, through WLOY! (Seriously, they always have great tickets to give away for free, so make sure you tune in.) Coming back to my concert from that tangent, I have seen both of these artists before, so I was a tad apprehensive to see them together, as I felt their live shows were rather different. Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed both of them previously, but I also think these experiences influenced me to come to this show as an experienced critic of sorts. (Disclaimer: In no way do I actually know enough about music to be considered an actual critic.)

I got to the 9:30 Club in time to catch the opener, Beat Club, perform. An L.A.-based band, their music contains rock, hip-hop and electronic influences. At first, I really enjoyed Beat Club. They seemed to be a good blend of the two bands and had a really fun, unique sound. I even turned to my friend to tell her I was impressed with them. That was until they played their last song. Their vocalist, Jeff, started the song with a strange scream and I didn’t know how to react. Then, the band members proceeded to thrash around the stage in a manner that was rather inconsistent with their other songs. I guess I shouldn’t just judge them off of one song, so I would say they were okay. I’ll probably download a few of their songs on Spotify (just not that last one.)

Following Beat Club, Capital Cities came to the stage and seriously gave a stellar performance. Capital Cities is an indie-pop duo from L.A. The two perform with a distinctive blend of electronic music and guitar patterns. You’ve all definitely heard of their song “Safe and Sound” with that trumpet riff — you know the one I’m talking about. But trust me, the other songs off of their recently released album, In a Tidal Wave of Mystery, are equally incredible. The Band played “Kangaroo Court” one of their most recently released songs, as well as tunes that everyone should look up, like “Farah Fawcett Hair” (which features Andre 300), “Love Away” and “I Sold My Bed, But Not My Stereo.” The duo did more than just play from their regular repertoire. They also did some killer covers of “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees and “Undone (The Sweater Song)” by Weezer. Plus, they taught everyone their signature dance, The Capital Cities Shuffle. Given all that, it’s obvious that the duo had to go out with a bang. To close their show, they played a remixed version of their hit, “Safe and Sound” and turned the entire club into a huge dance party in which members of the audience took off their shirts and swung them in the air — a tradition they’ve kept since I saw them last.

After Capital Cities, Fitz and the Tantrums had some pretty big shoes to fill. The band, comprised of vocalists Michael Fitzpatrick and Noelle Scaggs, among others, gave an equally incredible performance compared to Capital Cities. Formed in 2008, this neo soul/indie pop group is also based in L.A. and really hit it big with their single “Out of My League” this past summer. Listening to this band, you feel as if you’ve been transported to the ‘70s with their funky, psychedelic sound (they even have a Bari Sax player). Most of their songs are about love, sex and money, in the classiest way possible, and you could almost literally feel the sexual tension on the stage as the group performed. Fitz performed a great collection of hits from their recently released album, More Than Just A Dream, as well as hits from their previous album Pickin’ Up the Pieces. They captivated the audience with funk and soul through songs like “Winds of Change,” “Don’t Gotta Work It Out,” “L.O.V.,” “Moneygrabber” and “Fools Gold.” Plus, the group performed a stellar cover of “Sweet Dreams” by Eurythmics that was so awesome I had chills. The group ended the show with a funky dance party, being sure to cover the audience in confetti as they finished.

All in all, I would say this concert was pretty incredible. While I was a little apprehensive before the show, both of the headlining artists blew me away with their unique and fun sounds. Having seen both artists before, I also had set rather high expectations, which were quickly surpassed. It really is no wonder that they sold out two shows at the 9:30 Club! If you haven’t heard of either of these bands, you need to check them out, so go out and pick up their CDs for a funky-good time.