Kevin Bronson on November 16th, 2014

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An aura of sentimentality permeated the Shrine Auditorium on Friday night – not only were Foster the People nearing the end of a long tour with a hometown show, but it was only a short distance from the downtown building that was the scene of a dust-up earlier this year. There, on the north wall of the Santa Fe Lofts at 6th and Main streets, a mural was painted promoting the band’s second album “Supermodel.” However, it ran afoul of city regulations, eventually being painted over, but not before fans rallied and petitioned in its behalf. Frontman Mark Foster referenced the whole episode on Friday, saying appreciatively that the band “never felt a stronger connection” than from that support. His band’s set reinforced that; Foster the People raced through 16 songs for the adoring crowd, almost evenly split between the new record and 2011’s debut “Torches,” playing the breakout single “Pumped Up Kicks” two-third of the way through the main set and finishing with a three-song encore capped by “The Truth.”

SoKo, the L.A.-based French actress-musician, kicked off the night with a strong set that continued to stoke anticipation for her second album “My Dreams Dictate My Reality,” which is due after the first of the year. Her new songs make it clear that the singer, born Stephanie Sokolinski, is ready to graduate from the quirky, lo-fi pop on her 2012 debut “I Thought I Was an Alien.”  SoKo’s set led into Sylvan Esso, the North Carolina electro-poppers who were visiting L.A. for the fourth time this year (the Satellite in February, Make Music Pasadena in June and the Troubadour in August). They finished by bringing the audience to its feet with “Play it Right.”

Photos by Kelly Rosales