Foster the People released Paradise State of Mind, their first studio album in seven years, on August 16th. Almost a month later, we’re still eagerly anticipating the announcement of a full tour in support, though the boys have been playing a few special dates here and there to keep us somewhat satisfied. If that’s still not enough, good news, we got Mark and Isom to sit down with us to check out facts and data about their past shows. Take a look:
Mark Foster: The Beach Boys have been my favorite band since I was, like, six years old. So any time we can do something with them, it's such an easy yes. One of my favorite moments was hanging out with them, we were rehearsing at the Staples Center for the Grammys the next day. And then I hear, “Are those the Foster boys?” I turn around, it's Paul McCartney. And he's like, “Can I take a picture with you guys?” And we start talking, he's like, “I was hearing ‘Wouldnt It Be Nice’ and I was like, God, Brian sounds really good. And I walked outside and it was you on stage!” I was just like, Stop. Stop talking. I'm gonna go.
Mark: And then this thing came up, kind of like a night honoring The Beach Boys.
Isom Innis: I remember we kind of tweaked the last couple bars of it.
Mark: Yeah, we cut out that section just keep the energy going there. Which felt a little bit scary because we're changing the architecture of a Brian Wilson song, and then we're going to be playing it for them. I hope that they don't, like, hate it
Isom: It was a good time.
Mark: April 7th at Spaceland. Living in L.A. for so long, Spaceland was such a place that has incredible history. Beck kind of cut his teeth playing there, and like Elliott Smith. The stage had these beads hanging and it was iconic.
Isom: They had a dome ceiling where you could hear people talking from across the bar. You had to be careful what you said.
Mark: We had only played, I think four shows. Not even real shows, like in front of nobody. And, Spaceland was basically the show that all of the labels were coming to. Kind of stressful to be an artist because you're walking out into a quiet room and you can just feel every song being looked at and scrutinized and judged.
Mark: I remember when Taylor Swift played it on Ellen. And I think Vampire Weekend just did it like a week or two ago.
Isom: Really?
Mark: This is current, yeah. Super appreciated that.
Mark: Artists covered by Foster the People: Kimbra, Weezer, Neil Young, New Order, Joy Division, John Lennon, Alabama Shakes, the Ramones at number one. 96 times we’ve played ‘Blitzkrieg Bop’
Isom: We haven't toured for a while. I'm really excited to play the new record. I've missed it, I've missed playing live. We've toured so much in the past, it made me realize how much playing is an extension of me. So, I'm just excited to get back out there and see what it feels like.
Until we get those official dates, you can check out the ones Foster the People have announced on their official website, including Lollapalooza South America and Estéreo Picnic in March of 2025, just announced yesterday. Check out their episode of Marquee Memories here - and as always, keep watching Setlist.fm for more info!
