International sensation The Hu played Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center along with this year's fastest growing rock band, The Funeral Portrait.
I've been wanting to see The Funeral Portrait for quite some time now and had not had the opportunity to do so. And truth be told I almost missed their set. The venue and ticketing agency both had 8 PM as the start time. I walked in at 7:29 and they were walking on stage. Quite a few people arrived closer to 8 and missed them.
Rushing aside, I was completely blown away by their set as I suspected I would be. Their energy, their stage presence and showmanship were all top notch. Frontman Lee Jennings is an actual force. I didn't realize how tall he was until his boots were kicking my way. He filled the stage with not only himself but with his amazing spirit. The Funeral Portrait is known for their throwback EMO style, gender bending ways and acceptance of all at their "Devotions".
The band wowed the crowd for about 45 minutes playing through 9 songs including their breakthrough hit, "Dark Thoughts", and their current number 1 hit, "Suffocate City". As their set ended a long line of people raced to the merch area to say hi to the band and buy their very cool merch. I walked back to that area in the middle of The Hu's set and the line was still a mile long just to buy their shirts. Even though The Funeral Portrait have been around for a long time, they have finally found some success and I think that their star will continue to rise, not only because of their music but because of the great people that they are off stage.
This was my third time covering The Hu and they get better every time. The first time I saw them was at the end of 2019 just before the industry got shut down for a year. They played the tiny TLA in Philadelphia and I remember the show being over sold to the point that people were listening from the lobby and outside the main entrance. Since then, The Hu has circled the globe numerous times, have been support on major tours and have done the festival circuit.
The Hu, if you aren't familiar are a Mongolian band that perform traditional throat singing and play native instruments along with more traditional guitars and drums. They are known for their heavy, pulsating sound that made the venue shake and rumble as it was a large open room on the second floor of the building. Although I do not understand a word of their lyrics their music is so powerful that you do not need to understand it to receive their message.
The Hu have cemented themselves in the American music scene and have done many collaborations with American artist such as Papa Roach and Halestorm. I will continue to see them every chance I get, I love the experience of it. If you are looking for a show that is powerful and entertaining then you should get yourself to a Hu concert.
