 On November 8th, Hobo Johnson & The Lovemakers played The Fillmore in Philadelphia with support from Mom Jeans, The Philharmonik and Nate Curry. My first question going into the show was “what does a Hobo Johnson fan look like?" I still have no clue.Clearly all different types are getting down with Hobo Johnson and in impressive numbers. For a show that could have been in the upstairs of the venue, The Foundry, when it was announced. The audience totaled around two thousand, making it a full house on the main floor. Although I saw more braces than I’m used to, I’ll just remind myself I was also “killing it” at shows when I was fourteen. Walking in to The Fillmore, the stage was filled with keyboards, microphones, and drum sets. This made for some of the quickest set changes I’ve ever seen between acts. The Philharmonik, who played second, brought incredibly unique take on funk I thought was noteworthy: Then mom jeans. fans bought the pit and pushed their way to the front to yell lyrics back at singer Eric Butler who was sporting a Nickleback tee. The three artists opening for Hobo Johnson did a great job painting a picture of what was to come next. First, with the rapper Nate Curry, followed by The Philharmonik who bought the funk, finally mom jeans. with the emo vibes. Still nobody was prepared when Frank Lopes Jr, better known as Hobo Johnson, and the rest of the Lovemakers came out to Taylor Swift’s “Love Story”. After clearly having a phenomenal time singing along with the audience the song was blended into a track from The Rise of Hobo Johnson, Demarcus Cousins & Ashley. After the song is finished he tells the audience tonight he’s playing new songs, old songs, and hits..from the 00’s. Frank’s style of spoken word rapping was always something I loved on the records, but it was certainly something else live. He described it perfectly on stage as slam poetry and you couldn’t help but admire his passion as he used it to tell stories about his life and feelings that would be uncomfortable for anyone to share. But, also about his new Subaru Crosstrek XV: His crowd banter included: the Schuylkill River, Cheesesteaks (of course), and stray pieces of confetti that kept falling and distracting him. Frank made it seem easy as he conversed with the crowd in a way that seemed personal. Although he was self conscious every time made a mistake on stage it made him all the more relatable. You & The Cockroach from their latest album The Fall of Hobo Johnson , bought the record to life as the crowd chanted all the parts of the song that ask for audience participation. This could possibly be something The Lovemakers are interested in exploring.Frank has said in interviews he has thought of turning the song into a play. The 00’s moments of the show came from a song that will forever remind me of White Chicks (2004), A Thousand Miles by Vanessa Carlton. It was a shining moment on keys and Hobo really committed to belting it. There was hardly any backup track playing. Finally for the encore, it’s gotta be Typical Story right? Clearly it’s the biggest banger off the latest album? Nope, September by Earth, Wind, and Fire. Perfect.
Excuse my horrible video taking here. My favorite Hobo song, Romeo & Juliet
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