Sullivan Hall
October 30, 2009
By: John Mabery
Rating: 9/11

There is nothing more suitable than seeing FiKus in concert on Halloween eve.  The five purveyors of delectable dance rock are used to hosting freakouts, but on this particular night at New York's Sullivan Hall, the freaks truly came out.  During the frantic build of their first song, the instrumental track "Latin," vampires and firewomen discoed spastically side by side with Abraham Lincoln and a gentleman donning cereal boxes.  A girl dressed like a hippie painted on a canvas in a corner by the stage while deflecting the ravers.  All of this was overseen by guitarist Steve Malone, who sported a Ghostbusters jumpsuit and proton pack along with his usual axe.  It was a spectacle that was oddly familiar and completely alien at the same time.        

The opening mania of "Latin" was immediately followed by the crunching sounds of "Dingo," and, in a stroke of genius, a mash-up of Rage Against the Machine and the music from "Super Mario Brothers" level two; appropriately enough, given the Mario and Luigi outfits adorned by bassist Travis Paparoski and drummer Kito Bovenshulte.  The costume-clad crowd broke it down like it was 1985.  Pete Kozac, percussionist and resident carnival barker, asked who wanted some pudding, and the freaks gobbled it up as keyboardist Dr. Jon Schmarak launched into "Puddin," a ten minute long jam that is the perfect representation of how the band melds different genres into one song.  The multi-song jam culminated with a cover of Michael Jackson's "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough," a classic that the band has mastered to the point that it will inevitably be associated with them just as easily as the gloved-one.     

The house lights went low and the strobes kicked in for "Michael Phelps," a crowd-pleaser that pays tribute to the highest (no pun intended) Olympic victory.  Familiarity kicked in once again, as even those who had never heard the song before soon found themselves with their arms raised high above their heads and chanting the lone lyrics "winning the gold" along with the band.  Delving into some of the heavier songs in their repertoire, FiKus closed out their set with another cover, Nine Inch Nails' "Closer," and the raucous original "In Your Ear."         

The freaks quickly dispersed and spilled out onto Bleecker Street to find some relief from the chaos.  For those that had never experienced FiKus before, it was a one of a kind introduction to the band.  For those who had, it was a reminder of the grand potential of a themed show, something that suits this band quite nicely.  Running an hour long, the Sullivan Hall performance was a mere sampler-sized portion of the buffet that is the typical FiKus freakout, which usually lasts several hours, but it still tasted better than anything else I have savored in recent memory.  I can't wait to see what it looks like when they celebrate Christmas.