And ever since a long time, I felt the rain…

When I heard the opening strains of Gonna Fly Now (the Rocky theme), I wondered what in Hades was going on. The crowd at the 9:30 Club was anxiously waiting for headlinder Travis to take the stage after a solid acoustic set by opener John Paul White. Then the back doors to the music hall flew open, and the band sauntered in clad in boxing robes and accompanied by an entourage of 9:30 staffers. Slowly winding their way through the capacity crowd, Fran & Co. frequently paused to shake hands and give high fives. I was the recipient of a high five from lead guitarist Andy Dunlop. After shedding their robes, the band launched kamikaze-like into their current single, the uptempo Selfish Jean. After a pair of songs from “The Boy with No Name”, the band proceeded to meander their way through their five album set.  Through song after song, Fran Healy & Co. demonstrated the catchy hooks, tortured lyrics, and gorgeous noise that keep the crowds coming even though they haven’t managed to duplicate the commercial success of the “The Man Who”.  I’m just wondering when the boys are finally going to include 20 on one of their albums?