When I had the pleasure of seeing Family Force 5 this summer, even for an albeit too short set on the Vans Warped Tour, they far exceeded my expectations. I had heard many times from both music fans and people in the industry that if there was one band that was a must see on the VWT it was definitely FF5. They were right, no doubt about it. I can say that out of all the acts I have seen on all the Warped Tours I have attended, Family Force 5 put on the most high energy set to date. The only negative was the limit on time, since I knew they had a lot more material that I and countless others would have loved to hear that day. Ahh, but then came the full-length headlining tour that began in my area this October.



The 'Dance Rawr Dance 2' tour kicked off in Raleigh, NC at the Lincoln Theater, lucky for me. Aside from the chance to see FF5 live and playing a much longer set this time around, I was pleased to see other great acts on the bill like Danger Radio, Ultraviolet Sound and Play Radio Play. This was a show I was very much looking forward to.



When show day arrived, as luck would have it I was very sick. I struggled all day as to whether or not I should even attempt to make it to the Lincoln. To make matters worse, I was all set to do a second interview with FF5, and Danger Radio as well. Not wanting to get any of the band members sick right at the beginning of the tour, I held off on the interviews that night and drug myself to the show. I knew somehow that I'd sorely regret not going and at least doing a review. I am happy to say that I have no regrets whatsoever in making myself go that night. The opening acts did not disappoint, and never having seen Ultraviolet Sound before I was immediately drawn in by their style and sound. Danger Radio was my favorite of the openers that night however, and they got the party rolling in their usual fashion. They played a great mix of their old and new tracks which all served to get the crowd jumping and their blood pumping. I've seen DR one time prior to this show, and what stood out for me this time around was the noticeable confidence they exude on stage. They know their music is fun and contagious, and many of them can't seem to stop smiling while performing. With their most recent release 'Used and Abused', they have opened themselves up to their audience and the results were obvious at the Lincoln Theater judging from the exuberant response this night. I continued to feel quite ill all throughout the openers, but I kept my eye on the prize and waited patiently for Family Force 5 to take the stage.



Let me make something clear; seeing FF5 this summer was a great experience and being able to photograph that set was the highlight of Warped Tour for me. Being too sick to take pictures at the Lincoln Theater, I gave that job to my assistant and hung back to watch the show. When the time finally came for Family Force 5 to unleash on the packed house, I felt miraculously healed. Never at a loss for flare, the band came out sporting jackets with lights attached, unparalleled energy and enough style and talent to make me completely forget I was unwell. Seeing these guys in their element like that blew their Warped Tour set out of the water; no contest.



Every member of FF5 could have their own paragraph in this review to detail how talented they are and purely fun to watch; but I will try to make this as concise as I can. None of these Kountry Gentlemen know the meaning of the words "hold back", and that shows clearly when they take the stage. Whether it is Soul Glow Activatur commanding every inch of the stage as the front man, Crouton on drums and vocals making us wish he wasn't at the back of the stage, or Phatty doing what I have never seen any bass player do half as well as he does....making the bass actually look like a helluva lot of fun, these guys know how to party and make the crowd dance their butts off. Chap Stique and Nadaddy round out FF5 with stellar guitar playing and keys/programming, including a huge wall of a drum/programming machine that I really want to play one day. It just looks like fun.



Somewhere among the style and feel of the performance was a long list of great music, incorporating classic FF5 fair from their first record and many of the new tracks from their recent release, 'Dance Or Die.' I was very pleased to have such a great combination laid out on stage that night, because both albums have track after track of great songs that make you want to dance, sing, and then dance some more. There was a great moment mid show when the guys took a break to "dance party" with the crowd, each one stage diving into the arms of their adoring fans. There was no lull in the action on this night, and having seen hundreds of performances in 2008, I can say without hesitation that this was my favorite show of the year. Any band that can make me sing and dance in the condition I was in that night deserves the title of "best concert of 2008."



Family Force 5 is still out on the road on this tour, which will be wrapping up on Halloween. Don't despair though.....they will be packing up again in November and touring through mid December with Toby Mac, Reliant K and B. Reith. If you do nothing else between now and mid December, get out to an FF5 show. Things for this band are heating up in 2008, and you don't want to miss a minute of it.