Snapshots: Phoenix @ La Zona Rosa

In addition to their invaluable assistance in the Revolutionary War and perennially tasty cuisine France has bestowed us with the gift of Phoenix. The Parisian pop confections served up last night at La Zona Rosa were nothing less than superb examples of rock done right. Just rare enough to have some edge and seasoned perfectly with their quirky rhythms and plucky guitar choruses. From opening jam 'Lisztomania' to classics like 'Long Distance Call', the quartet of childhood friends seemed genuinely happy to be playing to the enthusiastic capacity crowd. The set had an added air of celebration, capping off the surprising success of the band's fourth full-length, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. The relatively intimate venue provided a more intense sound than their set at ACL, especially given the addition of an extra drummer/keyboard player last night. Leaving the stage, frontman Thomas Mars made his way through the crowd to the back of the house, stringing out his signature red mic cord and thanking the fans for helping the band close out their 2009 world tour in style. For the grand finale Mars pulled a page from the Girl Talk playbook and invited the adoring hordes onto the stage with him and the band. As the band wound down the final bars, Mars could be seen standing on the drum riser, smiling out over the dancing crush of fans, taking a final moment before closing this chapter in the band's career and sending everyone back into the chilly Austin night. -Eric Uhlir

Photos courtesy Chad Wadsworth.

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