American indie-rock band flipturn brought their Burnout Days Tour to Oakland Saturday, March 8, for a thrilling, packed night at the Fox Theater. Formed in 2015 by high school seniors in Florida, the five-piece band released their sophomore album, Burnout Days, in January and kicked off their US tour immediately afterward. flipturn’s performance soared above indie-rock concert standards, succeeding in engaging every audience member through sunny instrumentals, mind-bending light shows, and good old-fashioned
catchy lyrics.
The Oakland Fox Theater is a beautifully unique and luxurious venue, presenting as a treat in itself to experience. The historic refurbished movie theater is nearly 100 years old, and boasts an exotic design with ornate domes, rich terracotta, and two massive golden deities with glowing eyes. Warming up the vast crowd of 2,800 was a tall order for opener Krooked Kings, and despite being a little hard to hear they pulled off an entertaining performance.
Flipturn emerged around 9 p.m. to dizzying lights and the kind of bass you feel in your chest as they jumped straight into the opening track and single off Burnout Days, “Juno.” From casual head-nodders to hardcore fans, the whole pit bobbed as flipturn transitioned into the title track “Burnout Days,” before sharing their enthusiasm with the crowd surrounding their first show in Oakland.
A man of few words, vocalist and guitarist Dillon Basse kept the songs flowing quickly as they jumped into their second and third most listened to tracks, “Sad Disco” and “Glistening.” Addictive melodies and an overall surfy sound rang through the Fox Theater’s impressive sound system, presenting every chord as a full-body experience.
Drum powerhouse Devon VonBalson joined flipturn late when they were in college at the University of Florida, but it’s difficult to imagine the band without him. Never faltering for a second, his energy powered the vast crowd through song after song, keeping heads whizzing between charged drum solos, eccentric lyrics, and the slightly creepy glowing golden statues.
Bassist Madeline Jarman, guitarist Tristan Duncan, and synthesist Mitch Fountain calmed where Basse and VonBalson stormed, all while demonstrating incredible prowess in keeping the instrumentals faithful to the studio versions. However, even they were not immune to the shift in the crowd following the performance of their No.1 hit, “August.” Seven-years-old and counting, the song gripped the crowd with summer nostalgia and seemed to get every attendee singing along.
Following another legendary drum solo, Basse acknowledged the palpable energy in the audience, praising “F*ck yeah, Oakland!” as they launched into the second half of the set. Their songs, chock-full of drawn-out instrumental segments, inevitably blended, some only differentiated by the extensive light show. Spotlights and several dozen lights rigged to their backdrop switched up every song, keeping things visually appealing but also perpetuating a somewhat detached, impersonal feeling, making it easy to get lost in the set.
Maybe it was the plan all along, as 2020 favorite “Savannah” felt even more special as it turned from an acoustic guitar solo into a drum battle/mosh pit extravaganza. It felt as if the entire theater snapped to attention as flipturn really entered their element. VonBalson donned a drum on his head, Basse bounced left and right and their energy was contagious, carrying them through a flat-out electric end to the set and encore. The repetitive chorus, which mentions San Francisco, from the 2017 track “Chicago,” may have drawn higher audience participation than “August,” which is saying something.
“A little different from [playing concerts in SF at] the Bottom of the Hill,” Basse said, and he was right. As he dove into the crowd to close out the night, nobody wanted to leave. While it took a minute for flipturn and the crowd to warm up, the band’s show proved to be an infectious celebration of indie-rock music and an unforgettable experience, earning it a 4.5 out of five feathers.
