The band's songs, all written by co-founders Chris Collingwood and Adam Schlesinger, are mostly mini-narratives about the mundane lives of New Yorkers - not Park Avenue types but average suburbanites like the lovelorn Jersey guy who tells his classmate-turned-Hollywood-actress, "I saw you talkin'/to Christopher Walken/on my TV screen."
Tuesday night's show at the Depot marked FoW's first full-fledged Utah gig (not counting a brief Sundance Film Festival set a few years back), and Chris, Adam & Co. didn't disappoint. In a welcome display of efficiency, the band packed its punchy, 75-minute set with 19 songs drawn from each of its five albums.
With Collingwood on lead vocals and Schlesinger contributing harmonies and witty between-song patter ("the moral of this story," he said while introducing "Yolanda Hayes," is "don't hit on the girl at the DMV"), FoW devoted much of its set to its latest album, "Traffic and Weather." New single "Someone to Love" was a highlight, as were older tunes like "Red Dragon Tattoo," "Mexican Wine" and "Sick Day," an ode to a weary NYC commuter with its clever line, "lead us not into Penn Station."
The five-piece touring band faithfully replicated the studio versions of most songs while adding flourishes such as keyboards on several numbers and an extra guitar jam at the end of "No Better Place." Collingwood traded his electric guitar for an acoustic one on country-inflected tunes such as "Fire in the Canyon" and the carnival saga, "Half a Woman."
Radio hit "Stacy's Mom" drew cheers from the crowd and was followed by an extended version of "Radiation Vibe" that included a medley of guitar licks and verses from such late-'70s and early-'80s covers as "Jet Airliner," "Sharp-Dressed Man" and the Cars' "Let's Go." The goofy interlude showcased band members' versatility - they can play almost anything - while emphasizing their affection for straightforward, guitar-driven pop.
"Stacy's Mom" aside, Fountains of Wayne has yet to parlay critical raves into major mainstream success; Tuesday's show was only half full. Maybe the band's brand of melodic geek-rock isn't cool enough for today's indie kids. And maybe tunes such as "Michael and Heather at the Baggage Claim" feel more like amusing sketches than songs you want to play over and over.
But it's almost criminal that these guys aren't huge. They tell funny stories, they write killer hooks and they give a great live show. "We've decided we like Salt Lake," Schlesinger told the audience during the encore. Well, it's mutual. Let's hope they don't wait 12 years to come back.
Review Fountains of Wayne WHERE: The Depot, Salt Lake City WHEN: Tuesday night BOTTOM LINE: These witty New York rockers charmed the crowd with an efficient set of power-pop gems.
