Walk the Moon

I saw Walk the Moon for the first time in spring of 2012, playing at Big Guava Music Fest. The Ohio based group had an afternoon slot on the second smallest stage. I caught most of their set, along with 500-600 other people. I remember enjoying the set, but not to the point where it received praise in my top 10 power rankings from the weekend.

Fast forward to less than one year later and Walk the Moon is one of the most demanded bands in the country. They announced a spring tour back in November and sold out the dates in almost every city. This included their St. Pete stop at State Theatre last month. Luckily I bought my $28 ticket before I saw resale prices rise to the triple digits.

So what changed - well the group released their sophomore album - Talking is Hard, which is full of pop-rock tunes that get everyone dancing and signing along. It's one of those albums where you can't just listen quietly. It's lead single 'Shut Up and Dance' is a prime example of the albums energy, and the driving force behind the new fan hood and demand for the live shows.

The energy of Talking is Hard translated well to the live stage at State Theatre. Album opener 'Different Colours' also opened their performance, showing early that Talking is Hard would be well displayed on the evening. In total, the band played 9 tunes from the new album. They also mixed in 6 from their self titled debut.

Lead singer Nicholas Petricca sounded great throughout the night. Some of the new tunes challenge his vocal abilities, but in doing so, show them off nicely. Moments like the a capella opening to 'Down in the Dumps,' ferocious ending to 'Spend Your Money On' and sing a long chorus to 'Avalanche' display his ability to take over the room with his vocals, reminiscent of Brandon Flowers.

Speaking of the Killers frontman, Petricca gave a powerful performance of cover 'All These Things That I've Done' as the groups encore. This was a true highlight of the night. It led into the final song of the night with the bands first single 'Anna Sun.'

I was very pleased and impressed with the setlist put together by Walk the Moon. They clearly have many new fans, and they satisfied those by playing their new album in full, including ending with their monster hit. They also played tribute to their existing fans though. The group sounded just as good playing the older tunes, and it makes you wonder why they didn't have this type of popularity earlier.

Overall, the energy of this band made for one of the best shows of the year. I never found myself standing still. And I must say it was quite special to see them play the State Theatre, at a capacity of less than 800. Something tells me next time Walk the Moon is in the Tampa area, it'll be a much larger venue.

Concert Rating: 4 Stars

I had the pleasure of seeing Walk the Moon at the Chipotle Cultivate Fest in Lincoln Park last year. It was really cool because it was a festival that promoted healthy eating and there were multiple bands that played throughout the day. Plus, you didn't have to pay to get in. When it was Walk the Moon's turn to come on, the stage area was packed with excited fans, many with their faces painted in support of the band. Walk the Moon came out with high spirits, and the crowd was full of energy, dancing to the music. The band is really good live and they sound just like their audio recordings. I didn't know all of their songs, but it was still fun to jam out to their music. Many people sang along with the lead singer, and all of the band members were full of smiles as they played. Throughout the concert, there were these big, inflatable balls that were tossed around over the crowd. Several people were determined to touch them whenever they got near where they were standing. For the most part, the crowd was friendly; however there was this one drunk girl who was very rude to my friends and me. But that childish behavior didn't spoil our moods. Walk the Moon put on a great show that had everyone in good spirits by the end. Overall, Walk the Moon put on a fun, energetic concert that kept the audience upbeat. It was really cool to see them in the park, and who doesn't love a free concert?

Grab your friends, face paint and get ready to have an amazing night if you’re seeing WTM. From the first time I saw them open for Young the Giants I was completely hooked! They have so much energy and talent that when their on stage you can’t help but have a great time. The music is so engaging; you actually want to put your phone down and just move your hips shiver shiver.

Even though they’ve started playing bigger venues, the show is so enticing your nosebleeds will feel like front row. They really know how to get the crowd involved and pumped. The guys are so nice; they always try to come out after a show and meet the fans! Blake and just everyone on their crew are really great people.

A WTM show is a like family reunion; everyone knows each other, we share face paint, and just have fun. Don’t be afraid to go alone, you will make friends because WTM fans tend to be the coolest people with the finest taste in music.

17 shows later, I still get excited for each show! If they’re in town, get a ticket, you’ll have a blast and leave a fan.

They're my favorite band in the entire universe. This was my fourth time seeing them. I had seen them at the U.S Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach, at the Hollywood Palladium, and at Slim's in San Francisco. A few days ago, I went to their Catalyst Club, Santa Cruz concert and it was spectacular!
The Griswolds opened for them and they're Aussie beauties with spectacular hearts and amazing stage performance! Walk the Moon killed it with a fusion of both their old songs and quite a few from their rockin' new album, Talking Is Hard. Being two rows away from Nick and Kevin was incredible and I found myself dancing and sweating to each and every song, belting out every lyric devotedly.
I'm so grateful to have seen Ohio's Walk the Moon so many times and to have met them in San Francisco after their gig last fall. They're incredibly sweet, genuine, fun, and sexy guys and I'm glad success is treating them nicely. :]

Lighting was fantastic. The stage was super cool. Energy was at high levels. The band seemed happy to be there and played with passion. The song selections were good and the banter was decent. Power to people for being different and fuck trump.

My only gripe is that some of the songs and all the singers high notes were prerecorded. There was even a time in which he turned the mic to the audience to sing the lyrics and his prerecorded voice was still playing. Milli Vanilli over here. These guys are now so big they are more showmen than musicians. Not really live music ifnthe sound guy is doing most the work....

Walk the Moon was amazing! The energy is so fun and they are very interactive with the crowd! Not to mention that they are smoking hot indie hipster men. They sound amazing live, and they are definitely going to get big. They played their popular songs such as "Jenny," "Tightrope," "Shiver Shiver," etc., and then they also played a couple new ones including "Shut Up and Dance." And then of course, they closed with a favorite of mine... "Anna Sun." Had a fantastic time and have loved their music since the first time I heard them almost two years ago. CANNOT wait for another album to be released!! :)

The Walk the Moon concert was amazing and so much fun!!! The excitement and energy that came from the crowd was exhilarating! Nick Petricca and the other members of the band had a great way of keeping the energy up. I love how they played songs from their latest album and some older songs. After the concert, you can't help but get nostalgic and just want to do it all again!! ... So basically to sum it all up, going to the Walk the Moon concert was an experience that I won't ever forget and I will always cherish.

I hesitated in getting tickets for walk the moon as I had no idea what to expect, but this ended up being one of the best concerts I've ever been to. The band's energy and passion for the music was a cut above the rest, and they really engaged with the crowd for audience participation and general chat. Nick, the frontman, is charisma personified. The music was fantastic to dance to and the good mood in the crowd was infectious. Make sure you get to a show if they're in town, you won't regret it!

This was my first concert seeing Walk The Moon. I attended the show solo and wasn’t sure if it’d be as much fun going by myself. But these guys have the most amazing energy and top notch stage presence, it was like the room transformed into a packed house of 500+ of my closest friends!! So glad I decided to come, solo or not!! One of the best live shows I’ve seen in a long time!!! Thanks for a great night at the Fillmore!! See you at Firefly... :)

What a fantastic night! The best part is just how much energy everyone has - especially Eli Maiman who managed to keep his hoodie on the entire time.

You can tell just how appreciative they are of their fans. From starting with "Jenny" to ending with Shut Up and Dance" and encoring it with "Anna Sun," they played everyone's favs and just had so much fun doing it. Watching them made you have more fun and dance along with them. Can't wait till next time!