Let's Get FiKed Up

From 7/12/09

It's 3:26 a.m. I'm home from the FiKus show, but in a lot of ways, I'm still at the FiKus show. I'm covered in sweat, not all of which is mine. The ringing in my ears probably won't subside until sometime tomorrow night. And above all else, I've still got that sensation in my bones that I feel whenever I've just seen this extraordinary band. It's a feeling that I will carry with me for as long as I can remember, particularly when I think of shows that turned my brains to mush and left me in need of a fresh pair of shorts.

When last I wrote of this band FiKus, I described their set at the Old Gallery in Brooklyn as a "religious experience" and wondered if "they could ever be topped." Little did I realize at the time that the Brooklyn show was just the single-serving portion of the FiKus meal. Last night's show, performed at Tappan's Tuscany Bar and Lounge, on the other hand, was the all-you-can-eat special. They started set one sometime before midnight and finished set two around three o'clock. Now most people might find it gratuitous to watch one band for three plus hours. After all, that kind of marathon playing is only reserved for bands that have decades of hits under their belt, right? Wrong. Not only does the band maintain a constant level of energy the entire time, but the carnival-dance hall-house party atmosphere they create is one of a kind. It's what someone once referred to as "a sexy time." The crowd danced for the majority of both sets, a testament to how energetic their playing is; which leads me to believe that FiKus themselves are in fact made of pure energy.

From the moment that one-man-band Jon, secret weapon and primal screamer Pete, funk-master Travis, guitar god poster child Steve, and rock star Kito took the stage, everyone knew they were watching something spectacular; and it continued until the very end. The show, which was held upstairs in a loft-type space, had the perfect ambience meant for a very intimate listening experience that is FiKus' speciality. Christmas lights and foliage were strewn across the ceiling, colored lights twirled and danced on the animated faces of the five band members, and occasionally they would disappear in a haze of machine-spewed smoke. And when armed with their respective artillery, it's clear enough that this is where the boys are in their most natural habitat.

The two lengthy sets were filled with a wide array of eclectic tunes, both originals and classics. Crowd favorites such as "Puddin," "August," and live recreations of "Spoken Word" and "Marvin Gaye" had the crowd dancing and grooving into the wee hours of the morning. They rocked their way through covers of the Stone's "Miss You" and the Steve Miller Band's "Fly Like An Eagle." They paid tribute to Michael Jackson with an uptempo version of "I Want You Back." When Jon kicked in with the familiar keys to Alice Deejay's "Better Off Alone" and the crowd erupted into song, I knew that FiKus held us all in their collective palm. And with the crowd chanting "one-more-song" at the end of set two, FiKus launched into Led Zeppelin's "The Ocean" and the wild and raucous "1:13" to end the night.

FiKus' biggest show is now in the history books and it was one for the ages. If you missed it for whatever reason, you missed something truly special. I would suggest that everyone account for this missed opportunity and find out when and where you can see FiKus next. Any show that these guys put on might very easily be the best show you ever see. As far as I was concerned, the band thanked me for coming out to support them and expressed their wishes for me to do so again. To that I say, don't worry FiKus, you don't have to ask this guy twice.