It's not always friendly within the confines of Revolution Live, the longstanding midsized music venue in downtown Fort Lauderdale. Even with its excellent production, multiple standing-room levels, and several bars, it can still feel stuffy at times — especially when a quality headliner draws a full house.

One such headliner is Mutemath, which, for a few short hours, made Revolution feel a thousand times larger.

The evening's opener, Nothing but Thieves, were disciples of their touring partners. The U.K. five-piece bashed out a hearty brand of midtempo alt-rock reminiscent of Incubus, Muse, and the Pixies (whom they covered with "Where Is My Mind?"). For their initial tour through Florida, they left a solid first impression on a welcoming Fort Lauderdale crowd. And while that was a nice exchange, like a good-night peck on the cheek, passions really flared when New Orleans' best took the stage.

A longtime favorite of South Florida audiences since it first played Culture Room in 2005, Mutemath stepped into a lion's mouth roaring for supper; Revolution was well-fed.

To say that Mutemath is a great live band is a disservice to it. To truly appreciate its artistry, Mutemath must be both heard and seen. The band may not appreciate or agree with this, but it's almost unnecessary to listen to its records.The powerful highs and lows of its sweeping mix of progressive rock and '70s psychedelic pop made nearly everyone forget that any time you moved, you were bound to touch a minimum of three strangers' crotches.

Even the people clinging from the outside railing of the stairs leading to the second floor were having a great time, one arm fist-pumping while the other arm clung on for dear life.  Between the keyboard and drum battles, the almighty keytar making a guest appearance, and Paul Meany's searing vocals (he always looks like all words are simultaneously too beautiful and too painful to sing), everything seemed to open up. That included our hearts, minds, and even the room itself. The crowd at Revolution Live was abuzz, and at least this time, it had little to do with pricey drinks.

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