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It’s hard to believe that less than a year after Passion Pit released its irrepressible debut album Manners, that the band has already made two trips to Kansas City, Missouri. Flash back to early October 2009 at the Beaumont Club and you might see Passion Pit fans making their way to the doorway, only to be greeted with a message on an 8.5" x 11" piece of paper taped to the door: "We are sorry but Passion Pit is not playing tonight."
Following the last-minute cancellation, the band later disseminated a message via Twitter to explain the situation, punctuated by the phrase to its KC fans, "We apologize, and we owe you one." Almost exactly six months later, the band delivered on its promise.
On April 5th, eager local fans of Michael Angelakos’s quintet from Cambridge, Massachusetts were treated to a first-rate performance that quickly made October’s snafu a distant memory. The intervening months have seen the buzz surrounding Passion Pit grow only further, a fact clearly evident by the dozens of fans outside the Beaumont trying to find entry to the sold-out show.
Those who secured their tickets in advance were treated energetic warm-up performances by Bear Hands and Mayer Hawthorne & the County that turned up the anticipation level for the headliner even further. Once the stage was cleared and Passion Pit was minutes from their local debut, the excitement in the room was palpable. Following some slight urging by the packed crowd—customary, rhythmic chants of the band’s name—the band emerged from backstage and immediately broke into what turned out to be a memorable set.
The KC crowd had waited a full half-year to see Passion Pit on this stage, and as the band segued into “Make Light” for their second selection, the crowd was in full swing. Angelakos’s wail and the pulsing lights matched the crowds’ intensity, and the throng belted out choruses throughout the night. By the time the set-list reached “The Reeling,” the energy of the crowd reached manic levels, and the cascading refrain was belted out by most in the packed room. The fan-friendly setup of the Beaumont and the high sound quality ensured that the crowd could pick up the swirling keyboards and driving, repetitive tempo of the band’s performance.
Almost a year has passed since the release of Manners, so followers of the group now hold extremely high expectations for any future creative output from the band. Live Passion Pit shows, such as the one on display at the Beaumont Club, gave fans the hint there’s still more to be heard from the Cambridge quintet in the months and years ahead.
