On the eve of Penn State’s home opener against Akron, the Bryce Jordan Center opened its fall concert season on Friday night with a show by indie rock group Foster the People and special guest opener The Velvet Teen.

Touring in support of its latest album, Supermodel, Foster the People achieved a massive following with the crossover hit “Pumped Up Kicks.” The band’s debut album, Torches, received widespread acclaim for its masterful layering of synth-heavy indie rock, hip-hop, and R&B influences, and was considered by many to be one of the most influential albums in 21st century rock.

The show opened with the swelling guitar riffs of indie rock band The Velvet Teen. The high energy performance may have fell a bit flat, as most of the attendees were nodding their heads while more trickled onto the floor in anticipation of Foster the People.

The crowd began chanting “Foster! Foster! Foster!” as the stage techs were finishing up their sound checks, and broke out into wild applause when the lights went dark. Ambient synth and heavy bass swelled as the lights flashed bright red and white and the band broke into its opening track “Best Friend.” The stage was surrounded by white plastic mountains that lit up in different colors throughout the set.

Foster the People played a solid mix of its old and new material, hitting all the most catchy and popular tracks from Torches. In between songs, frontman Mark Foster joked about starting the new school year and became emotional when talking about how this audience will shape the future.

After playing nearly a two-hour set, the band left the stage and the lights went dim. The crowd began screaming for an encore before the band even left the stage. We all knew they wouldn’t leave without playing “Pumped Up Kicks.”

As the bassline started, the crowd went into a frenzy — jumping, dancing, and singing along to the chorus. Foster the People finished its set with “Don’t Stop” as people starting leaving the floor.

Foster the People put on an amazing high-energy performance, and the audience went right along with it. Let’s hope that this kicks off a new round of rock shows nicely in the coming year at the BJC.