The mood at the Granada on Tuesday night was infectious. Franz Ferdinand’s legendary live shows tend to slap smiles on everyone they perform for, and it was easy to see why. The second they landed onstage, the band’s energy was through the roof. They immediately jumped up on anything they could, at times even balancing themselves on the barricades, in an effort to become as close with the audience as possible.

The rockers had reason to love this particular crowd. They spent at least a full day in the area, which included a five-hour chill sesh at the Jackpot the night before their performance (employees there said the band had a great time). So when the frontman exclaimed “We got to spend a little bit of time in Lawrence, it’s a pretty cool fucking town! I love it!” we believed him.

The show was laden with bright and strobing lights. At times it was so bright, it almost felt like the house lights had come on. Everything was visible, and by everything we mean a sea of smiling faces and high-fiving fans. Like we said, the mood was infectious. The squeals of joy and cheers almost matched the noise level of the deafening rock noise coming from the speakers.

Opener Frankie Rose also filled the venue with joy. She had some major guitar skills yet a voice as clear as a bell. It was entrancing, and fans were even shouting for an encore by the end of her relaxed and conversational set on this first night of her tour with Franz Ferdinand.

Both acts had audiences happily eating out of the palm of their hands. The fans were even singing along, regardless of wether a mic was pointed at them or not. We also couldn’t help but notice a wide range of music lovers, ranging anywhere from metal heads to indie lovers. No matter, on this night they were brought together by the power of the incredibly well-loved and contagiously crowd-pleasing act known as Franz Ferdinand.

Words and photos by Fally Afani