Many SPOON fans had questions coming into last night’s show at the Riverside Theater. Most notable was: Will anyone be there? It seemed as though so many tickets were given out or sold for free that there were concerns of a semi-full audience. Luckily, that was not the case. By the time SPOON took the stage at approximately 9:15 PM, the Riverside was full of fans anxiously awaiting SPOON’s first set in Milwaukee in nearly five years.

Despite all the anticipation, SPOON did not disappoint. Rabid fans head a very well balanced blend of songs off of They Want My Soul released on August 5 of this year and old favorites reaching all the way back to their debut, 2001’s Girls Can Tell. While listening to all their favorites, SPOON fans reacted and responded to the band’s high energy. Singing along and clapping at all the right times, the audience matched SPOON’s energy level and kept up for the entire set.

Opening with Small Stakes (from 2002’s Kill the Moonlight), the crowd was immediately engulfed in SPOON’s blend of pop-rock and indie. Arguably the most sentimental moment came in their encore, when they covered Jay Reatard’s “No Time.” Reatard played with SPOON the last time they graced the Riverside, December 31, 2009, and unfortunately passed away shortly thereafter. SPOON’s version of “No Time” served as eulogy and went over incredibly well with the crowd, many of whom had been at the New Year’s Eve 2009 date.

Once the final chord had been strummed and the audience filtered out, there was a sense of exhilaration that could be felt. Hopefully, many felt, it will not be another five years before another SPOON date in Milwaukee.