SLCene Suggests: Fitz and the Tantrums at Red Butte Garden

FITZ AND THE TANTRUMS, RED BUTTE GARDEN, Monday, June 30, 7 p.m., sold out

The soulful and funky Los Angeles sextet Fitz and the Tantrums first formed in 2008, and literally starting playing public shows within a week of their first rehearsal. Michael Fitzpatrick, the band’s founder, thought it was important for the band to start playing concerts as quickly as possible—even before he thought they were ready—to bring out the best in the young musicians in the band. The strategy seems to have worked well, considering Fitz and the Tantrums starting getting some really big gigs after just a few months on the L.A. club circuit. The band landed tours opening for the diverse likes of Irish punks Flogging Molly and pop-rockers Maroon 5 before a showcase at the South by Southwest Music Conference in 2010 earned the band a record deal. As soon as Fitz and the Tantrums released their debut Pickin Up the Pieces, the band almost immediately turned from a live phenomenon into full-blown radio stars. That 2010 release stayed on Billboard’s sales charts for more than a year as the band circled the globe playing festivals and headlining their own tours. In 2013, the band released its sophomore album, More Than Just a Dream. Expect a heavy dose of the new one Monday night. Max Frost and Holy Child open the show.