X Ambassadors performs to a sold-out crowd at the 9:30 Club in D.C. on its VHS Tour on Wednesday, October 21, 2015.
When X Ambassadors prepares for a show, singer Sam Harris does yoga and vocal warm-ups, his brother and keyboardist Casey Harris plays the popular flight simulator Kerbal Space Program, guitarist Noah Feldshuh does a jump-rope routine, and drummer Adam Levin watches TV and plays sports games. Every night, right before they go on, they huddle up and “say a little something,” Feldshuh said.
Rolling into Washington at about 8 a.m. for Wednesday night’s show, their third at the 9:30 Club, Feldshuh described the venue as an “iconic music industry staple,” adding that the band members all had 9:30 shirts and loved the club’s cupcakes. While the venue was nothing new for X Ambassadors, it was an exciting beginning for the Ithaca, New York-based band. It was the first day on a bus on their VHS Tour — an upgrade from the van they were in before — and the first time this year they would be able to sleep in the same bed for more than three nights. They are pretty excited about it, Feldshuh said.
An early show meant the band huddled up a little before 8:45 p.m., and was off the stage by 10. This early closing time seems odd for most rock concerts, but worked perfectly for the predominantly younger crowd the band brought to the sold-out show. The irony of a younger crowd coming out to The VHS Tour isn’t lost on the band members, either, Felshuh said, because when they released their album of the same name this year, they had “a lot of fans asking what VHS [tape] was.”
The album is designed as an homage to the past, with ’80s rap-styled interludes recorded from digitized home tapes and references galore to ’80s cinema. The band wanted to share its personal story and upbringing in the record. The interludes weren’t the only rap qualities in the music, thanks to producer Alex da Kid (who also paved the way for Imagine Dragons), who put his signature bass-heavy percussion on the tracks to blend the alt-rock and hip-hop genres into one cohesive sound.
With the band on stage, the crowd could barely handle themselves, screaming as the first beat of the drum opened the song “Loveless” before joining Sam Harris in singing, “I can’t give you love ’cause I’m loveless.” Harris’ energy was through the roof; he jumped around as the bright strobes seemed to freeze him in mid-air. The rest of the band was just as energetic, but lacked the mobility to really show it off. Traversing their set fairly smoothly (minus one technical difficulty that affected Casey Harris’ ability to hear his piano) the band shared its diverse sound with the audience, jumping from alternative to piano ballad back to rock, and ending in a sweet spot somewhere between hip-hop and alt-rock.
The highlight of the set was Casey Harris’ piano solo leading into the song “Unsteady.” Casey has been blind since birth, a trait the band showcases in the music video for “Renegades,” in which many people with disabilities overcome the challenges in their lives. Casey Harris’ musical ability shone in the solo as his fingers danced across the keys, embodying the spirit of the “Renegades” video.
They closed their show with “Renegades” and “Jungle,” saving the biggest hits for last. The crowd erupted in one last burst of energy, going wild along with the band. X Ambassadors left the stage, presumably showered, and went back to the bus that would be their home for the next seven weeks. It seemed X Ambassadors loved Washington, and it’s a good thing Washington loves them back, as they were just announced as opening support for Muse’s upcoming tour, with the band returning to the capital at the Verizon Center on Feb. 1.
