On Monday, November 11th, California indie-rock legends Local Natives visited Orlando’s The Plaza Live on their 2024 fall tour with special guests Krooked Kings. Last year, Local Natives dropped an album, Time Will Wait For No One, and this tour is highlighting its companion album which dropped in April of this year, entitled But I’ll Wait For You. On socials, the band has been referring to this tour as TWWFNOBIWFY Tour— talk about a mouthful.
The night took place at one of Orlando’s oldest theaters, Plaza Live. The 60-year-old venue just underwent a big remodel where they enhanced the overall experience by improving spaces at the lobby, bar, and theater. The multimillion-dollar remodel included a new lighting design that transformed each of the performances and an elevated PA system which made the sound impeccable.
The opener, Krooked Kings, got the experience of the new stage first, starting the show with their hit song "Catacombs," from their most recent album, Shiver. The five-piece from Salt Lake City, Utah had big energy and you could feel their passion for their art in each of their infectious smiles. The common theme in their lyrics has to deal with coming-of-age and rebelling at growing up. The crowd, in unison with lead singer Oli Martin, sang out, “I should act my age! Stop acting a fool,” from the anthem, "Sick Of Being Young." Performing on a Monday did not stop the energy, and the crowd did not disappoint. Oli told the audience, “I know it might be a Monday night, but this is the loudest crowd so far on this tour!”
After an incredible performance by Krooked Kings, the lights went dark, with only a spotlight on the enormous balloon-lettering spelling LN, and the audience got ready for Local Natives to take the stage. They started the show with the catchy new favorite, "April," which had the room grooving to the catchy melody. Every move the group made together felt very intentional, from the lighting to the transition from each song to the next. The way they constantly changed the lighting from red, green, and strobe flashes made it an immersive experience. The setlist contained memorable songs from Megaton Mile, Wide Eyes, and Coins.
They performed "Statues in the Garden," where singer Taylor Rice was describing their writing process as this was a song that they had in the vault that wasn't where they wanted it yet, and they revisited and made a poetic layered work of art. They bantered onstage, joking about how their songs are “children,” and it's nice to see them prosper. One thing about the audience that is such a rarity to see is how engaged they were, phones were in their pockets as they just enjoyed being immersed in the experience. Before playing the song, "Dark Days," Taylor Rice and keyboardist Kelsey Ayers gave a special shout-out to guitarist Ryan Hahn for writing the song. They ended the set on "Sun Hands," which gave me goosebumps from all three of the guys singing in unison and their harmonies permeating through the theater. The band left the stage and the audience cheered and waited for the group to return to the stage. They ended up returning to play three more songs, ending the night on their number one hit song "When Am I Gonna Lose You."
