Just outside of The Blue Note on 9th Street,  SoKo and Foster the People performed in Columbia for the first time Oct. 8.
SoKo, a French musician and actress, opened for Foster the People. SoKo had an ’80s vibe that was almost overbearing and made me feel as if I was watching a strange ‘8o sitcom.  She sang predominantly in English, which she is not fluent in. It was apparent that she did not know English as well as she could when she was vocal about not knowing various English words such as the word for a presenter for a television show looking past her limited English vocabulary, her songs were strange and overall un-enjoyable to listen too.  From songs such as “I Thought I Was An Alien” where she asked the audience to dance like aliens, to “Bad Poetry” a song literally full of bad poetry sums up her strange set list. SoKo’s concert experience left me feeling uncomfortable and excited for Foster the People to come out more than I was before.

9th Street was filled with the sound of adoring fans screams as Foster the People entered the  stage, myself included. They started the night off with “Pseudologia Fantastica” from their new album Supermodel, a song about a compulsive liar. It was my first time being exposed to the song, but I found myself dancing like everyone around me none the less.
I was concerned about how well Foster the People performed live, a little skeptical that they relied on auto tune for their music, but to my delight, they performed just as well as they sound on their albums.
Mark Foster, the lead singer, showed his passion for music on stage. He sang as if he was in front of a small group of people, but in reality he was singing for hundreds. He also let loose and danced around the stage as if he was a fan which made the experience all the more better.
Their set list did not disappoint, it included a mixture of their first album Torches and their second and most recent album, Supermodel. I heard songs that I had not yet heard before from Supermodel such as “Best Friend” and “Coming of Age” that I am now a huge fan of.
After they finished “Don’t Stop,” their last song, they exited the stage and the audience demanded an encore. After screaming “one more” for a minute or so after the band exited the stage, they opened the side curtain and Foster came back out with the rest of the band following close behind. The last song they played was “The Truth,” a mellow tune that left me wanting more.
The overall concert experience was genuinely amazing. It was a night that I got to meet new people, built closer relationships with friends, and saw a band I had been listening to for year. I will never forget that night and I highly suggest that everyone see Foster the People live at least once.
By Ashley Tanner