Foster the People delivered a hit-filled performance in Austin, bringing fan favorites like “Pumped Up Kicks” and “Houdini,” dazzling stage production, and 15 years of indie rock nostalgia to Moody Amphitheater on their Good Mourning Sunshine Tour.

Moody Amphitheater felt like a giant victory lap for LA-bred alternative giants Foster the People at their Austin concert on Friday, Oct. 16.

Bursting onto the scene in 2011 with their album, “Torches,” Foster the People has always sort of been a band that I’ve taken for granted. They’re always around, and they’re always putting out solid albums and singles, but I don’t really take the time to appreciate them and their consistency until I’m in a situation like I was on Friday night at Moody Amphitheater surrounded by 5,000 other Foster the People fans.

For what seems like the first time, Foster the People is doing a tour that feels fully like fan service. It feels like the group has gotten to a point where they can book rooms of any size, fill them well, and have a setlist that pleases everyone. They have enough radio hits to make their casual fans happy, they leaned heavily on “Torches” and their sophomore album, “Supermodel,” for the older fans, and sprinkled in a handful of new songs and deep cuts for the diehards. 

The band’s 90-minute set was kick-started with a one-two punch of “Torches” songs: “Life on the Nickel” and the timeless “Helena Beat,” both of which still sound just as fresh today as they did when they came out.

The energy remained high throughout the set. Front man Mark Foster sat behind a piano to lead sing-alongs for “Waste” and “Houdini,” strutted and shuffled across the stage during “Lost in Space” and “Call It What You Want,” and sat back for more spot-lit moments like the slow-burning “Lamb’s Wool” or one of the band’s two slow moments of the evening, an acoustic performance of “Goats in Trees.”

At their core, though, Foster the People is a rock band, and there was no further evidence than when Foster would grab his red Gibson ES-335 and rip through a song like “Coming of Age” or “Lotus Eater.” For a song like “Don’t Stop (Color on the Walls)” that on record feels a bit tame, Foster’s playing live elevates it to a new level. 

Where I think the band has made the most strides, though, is in their stage production. 

At Moody Amphitheater, the band played with a house behind them constructed of LED panels that featured complementary visuals to all of the songs played. A door in the middle of the house opened and served as Foster’s grand entrance at the top of the show. Cameras descended from the rigging multiple times, allowing Foster to control the visuals and get close-up shots of his face and his band members, as well as performing in front of a camera in the door, a camera in the hallway behind the door, and even climbing to the top of the house’s roof for the grand finale of “Pseudologia Fantastica.”

As one last bit of fan service, the band returned after a short encore break and closed the show with “Sit Next to Me,” and, after a short thank you and story about how Austin was the first city the band played that wasn’t LA, slowly faded into the song that propelled them into stardom, “Pumped Up Kicks.” One final sing-along sent everyone home as the band waved goodbye.

Opener Goth Babe brought 45 minutes of indie rock goodness as well. The brainchild of Griff Washburn, Goth Babe’s music is the type that you can’t help but smile to. It’s relentlessly upbeat and happy, his stage presence is warm and fun, and included in the set was a giveaway of a signed bass drum head to a lucky fan on one side of the audience and a waffle maker to a lucky fan on the other. The pairing of Goth Babe and Foster the People sounded great on paper and played out great at the venue.

Foster the People’s Good Mourning Sunshine tour felt like the perfect encapsulation of the band’s fifteen years. A light shone on every era, a showing of how consistent they’ve been as a band during that time, and a reminder of how strong their catalog, past and present, is.

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Cover Photo Andrew Watters

Andrew Watters is a writer, photographer, and die-hard Red Raider currently living in Kyle, Texas. When he’s not at a concert or at home, you’re most likely to find him in a record store or searching for another stamp in his Texas Monthly Top 50 BBQ Joints passport book.