Fitz and the Tantrums’ chorus line from their 2016-17 Billboard Hot 100 hit “HandClap” is “I can make your hands clap …” and they DID just that. Ogden sang, danced and CLAPPED. Together again, at a live concert.

The first Ogden Twilight concert since 2019 was a smashing success, with the recurring theme of the night being thankfulness from the performers for being able to bring their music on stage again. Fitz (Michael Fitzpatrick) told the crowd he would never take playing live music for granted again and I think most of us agreed.

The crowd had a lot of energy and it certainly didn’t go unnoticed; you couldn’t help but feel great to be there to support live music.

One highlight was earlier when Kishi Bashi, one of the openers, was on stage and had to restart a song after claiming to be “rusty” from not playing much since 2019. But it was only a little hiccup and felt very relatable considering the challenges of last year, as he and his bandmate quickly hit their groove. He told the crowd to “sssshhhhhhhhh” before he delicately played his song “I Am The Antichrist To You” on the violin. The background chatter subsided and all ears tuned in only to hear them rock the stage for the reminder of the set.

The sold-out crowd was getting pumped up, and Fitz and the Tantrums came out swinging. The band quickly earned the respect of the audience with fun and confidence as the moon set behind the stage, adding to the incredible energy.

They are amazing performers who have toured, they reminded us, for over 13 years. The first set included songs from their 2013 album “More Than Just A Dream,” and even the new songs had a fun familiarity to them. But it was the much anticipated encore that knocked the whole thing out of the park.

After the band left the stage, there was a long intermission when the crowd began to chant, “We want more!” Dehydration and the heat had taken its toll on the band and vocalist Noelle Scaggs finally came out to address the crowd. They had to take care of one of the members of the band due to the heat. When the band returned for the encore, they did not disappoint.

Overall, the staff was friendly, well-prepared and added to a great experience. Entry into the Ogden Amphitheater was a breeze — at one point, the merchandise line started to get mixed into the walkway but staff quickly resolved the issue by moving the line around to the side.

The new bar area quickly got drinks out and it was quick and painless to get wristbands. We were greeted promptly by people checking IDs who told us the lines at the bar were not very long and directed us over there, where we tried (and enjoyed) the spiked Arnold Palmers.

It was an awesome start to the concert series that Ogden had been waiting for.