For Fitz and the Tantrums’ James King — who primarily plays saxophone but describes himself as the “Swiss Army Knife of the band” due to his wide array of instruments, including keyboard, guitar and percussion — the best moment of his career was not when the band had a great show, but when the audience supported them through a tough one.
During an interview with The Daily Free Press, King recalled one of the band’s first headlining shows at a small, crowded venue in Boston when suddenly, vocalist Noelle Scaggs lost her voice.
“She was up there dancing, having a great time, but just couldn’t make a sound,” King said. “So when it came time for her to sing her part, the audience actually chimed in and sang for her, and it was just a really tear-jerking moment because we knew early on that we had such loyal fans.”
Fitz and the Tantrums will be back in Boston at the House of Blues on Tuesday as part of their 2016 Come Get Your Love Tour.
“It just always feels weird flying from L.A. to Florida with a suitcase full of down jackets and gloves and scarves,” King joked, regarding the band’s first few days of traveling. “But, you know, it always kind of makes sense once we’re two weeks into the tour.”
The tour is in support to their new self-titled album, released in June. The album features their new single “HandClap,” a “club banger tune” that is “a really great departure for us from everything that we’ve done,” King said.
He stressed, once again, the importance of support from their fans, even in the face of such a large musical shift.
“We knew right off the bat [“HandClap”] was going to have legs,” King said. “For some people it’s been a challenge, just because a lot of people hear our old stuff and just expect that one thing, but for the most part our fans have come along with us and it’s been great.”
King also described “HandClap” as one of his favorite songs to perform. It begins with a bold saxophone line that rises above the bass.
“People light up when I come out first to play that horn line,” he said.
The road to performing, King said, isn’t always easy. He described writing each song as a process that requires collaboration from every member of the band. He also expressed his gratitude for outside collaborators, who helped Fitz and the Tantrums with many of the songs on their newest album.
“We’ve drawn on people who we think really have the sound in their head that we like,” he said. “So far, it’s been very fruitful.”
The most difficult part, though, is not writing.
“The biggest hurtle can sometimes be realizing it in a live setting,” King said.
He explained that it’s important to the band that each song sounds like the recording, yet has its “own life on stage.” The band works tirelessly to strike a perfect balance between authenticity and innovation in their concerts.
“The goal is to get people to not think about it,” King said. “Just lose their minds, you know?”
This is exactly what Fitz and the Tantrums plans to do when the band return to Boston’s House of Blues. Since that first ill-fated concert, Boston has been a special place for the band.
“It seems like every time we get back to town, the show gets bigger, and bigger and bigger,” he said.
He mentioned the friends he has in Boston, both from his past and connections he’s made through Fitz and the Tantrums, and expressed his excitement to be coming back.
“It always just feels like a really personal performance for us every time were in that city just because of the connections we’ve made there,” King said. “So we’re looking forward to it, and we can’t wait to take you all on the ride with us.”
