Nate Ruess

This is not the first time Nate Ruess has performed at Calvin College. The first time was November 14, 2012 in what was the band fun.’s largest headlining show at the time and Calvin College’s largest show to date. fun. ignited the pop charts with a perfect balance of Queen-esque bombast and radio-ready pop in their album Some Nights. Nate Ruess’s voice was a standout, soaring above the layers of production with a crystal clear focus and resolve. The college had the chance to witness what would become one of pop’s biggest acts in the early 2010’s right on the cusp of their breakthrough. This makes Nate Ruess’s return tonight special for Calvin College, and assumedly special for Ruess as well, who has expressed that playing at Calvin an extremely positive experience.

It’s rare for audiences to have the opportunity to enjoy an artist in three different iterations, which is what is happening currently happening for fans of Nate Ruess. Originally a member of The Format, Ruess built a quiet reputation as an infectiously energetic performer. When The Format split up in 2008, almost no time elapsed before Ruess formed fun. with Andrew Dost (of Anthallo) and Jack Antonoff (of Steel Train). After their show at Calvin, fun. did extensive touring in support of Some Nights. fun. is currently on hiatus, but Nate Ruess has continued to create, being featured on songs by both P!nk and Eminem, and now releasing his first solo album. 

Ruess’s first solo album, The Grand Romantic, is not exactly a turning point from his work with fun. Still present are the theatrics and spectacle that fun. became known for and so well encapsulated in their live show. Ruess is not trying to shut the door on his past, but he makes it clear early in the record that this a new step in his career. The first full song on The Grand Romantic, “AhHa,” both lyrically and musically recalls fun.’s hit song “Some Nights,” closing the curtain on fun. but opening another for Nate Ruess.

As the title suggests, the subject matter is largely focused on love, adding a desperation that feeds the theatrical nature of the songs. In the song “Nothing Without Love,” he sings,

I wanna hold her in my arms
But she feeling low she feeling sad
I would take credit for what’s wrong
But I am nothing without love

Ruess’s feelings are often at odds at with his mind, creating a tension that gives the songs a more dramatic air. The song “Take It Back” says,

And these days get so far away
And I want what I can’t say
So take it back 

The conviction and passion in which Nate Ruess sings makes these heavily romantic lines convincing and genuine. 

Though The Grand Romantic is not an extreme change stylistically from his previous work, Ruess sounds as fresh and focused as ever. A duet with Beck and a guitar solo from Jeff Tweedy of Wilco help bring the record into new sonic territory briefly, but the bombast and ambition that follows everywhere Nate Ruess goes is what makes the record soar. Whether listeners will ever hear another fun. album or not, we can rest assured that Nate Ruess is an artist who continues to create and make his voice heard, and that is something we should be thankful for.

Presentations at Calvin University

Nate Ruess
Campus Consciousness Tour
Monday, October 12, 2015 08:00:00 PM
Covenant Fine Arts Center Auditorium