Article by Myles Ackman and Kade Grierson | Cover Photo by Cat Dooley
For the first time in fifteen years, Fruit Bats returned to Iowa City on October 21 for a performance at The Englert Theatre, with support from Matthew Logan Vasquez.
“Iowa City was the first place I ever traveled far to, and I thought, ‘this place resembles freedom,’” – Fruit Bats and permanent member Eric D. Johnson.
The three of us—Elle, Myles, and Kade—were the youngest people in the audience by far, and sat near the front on the edge of a sea of double denim, floral shirts, ball caps and patagonia beanies. One excited and kind man we spoke to had traveled all the way from his sustainable “collective” in Des Moines. It had been five or so years since they’d seen the Fruit Bats and they weren’t about to miss their grand return.
The stage bore a close resemblance to an MTV Unplugged set. Dimly-lit overhead lights and a few candelabras set the tone for an atmospheric and intimate night ahead. Before long, Matthew Logan Vasquez—formerly the head of indie band Delta Spirit—and company took the stage—in sandals—and opened his set with “Stand Up.”
Photo by Kade Grierson
When interviewed by KRUI after the show, Vasquez was asked what he felt was different about his show in Iowa City—Vasquez and his band had been on the road at this point for three weeks, opening for the Fruit Bats.
“Well the Iowa City show had seats, and so people got to relax for the first part of our set”
Vasquez had opened his set by asking people to stay seated for the first part of his show. Then followed up by playing the previously mentioned “Stand Up”.
“Please stay seated” he joked after belting out the first few verses.
“We got to play some sweeter songs that we don’t normally play” he continued when speaking to KRUI “but then at the end we got to bring it up and make it really big and loud, and everybody got up and got down and we had a really silly time. And everybody’s really nice, you know. I’ve been here a bunch of times and played at the Raccoon Motel and I love it out here.”
Through a haze of liquid fog, the band performed a collection of songs both soft and Americana-esque. Before concluding their performance, Vasquez reflected on a venue he once got kicked out of in Iowa City.
“There’s a venue we can’t play anymore in Iowa City because we got blamed for pulling a fire alarm at 4am… I didn’t do it but I watched it happen.”
Vasquez and the band then launched into an impressive three-song closing set including “Ransom Man” and “Ball Pit.” Mitch Mitchell-style drumming, Grateful Dead-like guitar solos and a brief cover of Sublime’s “Wrong Way,” captivated the audience and brought their performance to an end. Vasquez’s playful energy only increased as the set went on, and by the last set he was jumping around stage with no shoes and whirling his guitar around wildly. The crowd ate it up.
“Iowa City you’ve got great taste!” Vasquez responded to the cheers with and was met with even further excitement.
Following a quick intermission, Fruit Bats stepped into the spotlight and commanded the stage with two electric tracks before Johnson paused to reflect on a 2011 performance at The Mill in Iowa City. “I ate spaghetti bolognese before that show… not a good idea.”
Fruit Bats then settled into their 90 minute setlist with a variety of recognizable tracks, including “Cazaderia,” “The Bottom of It,” and “My Sweet Midwest.”
This was Myles’ second time watching Fruit Bats perform live, and he had high expectations, and they met every one of them. One song blended effortlessly into the next, and hints of optimism and serenity emitted from the amps on stage. After the show was seemingly finished, Myles made a hundred-dollar bet with the man next to him that the fruit bats would come back out for an encore; he won that bet.
Much like any show these days, Fruit Bats stepped off the stage before coming back to perform an encore for the audience. At one point, Johnson ditched the Fender Telecaster and made his way towards the ground floor with a microphone in his hands. Once he finished weaving through the crowd and performing an intimate solo track, Johnson stepped back onto the stage, hiked up the capo on his guitar, and finished the evening with “The Balcony.”
Photo by Cat Dooley
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