Los Angeles-based pop groups Capital Cities, Fitz and the Tantrums, and Beat Club brought a tidal wave of cheery pop music to Stephens Auditorium as part of their Bright Futures Tour on Tuesday, Nov. 19.

The show was an event presented by the Student Union Board and was funded in part by the Government of the Student Body. About two-thirds of Stephens Auditorium was filled by fans of the groups.

Capital Cities is a duo from Los Angeles that met on Craigslist in 2008, and started out writing jingles for commercials. Their debut album, “In a Tidal Wave of Mystery,” was released this summer, featuring the radio hit “Safe and Sound.” The song has been featured on many national commercials, and went platinum in August.

“I first heard Capital Cities on the radio,” said Nate Doggett, a freshman in pre-architecture and a fan who came to the show. “’Safe and Sound’ gets played pretty often. [Their music] is uplifting; it’s pretty upbeat; I like it.”

Fitz and the Tantrums is an indie sextet also from Los Angeles. The group formed in 2008 when lead singer Michael Fitzpatrick was inspired to start writing songs after a breakup. Since then, the band has released two studio albums and has played on shows including Jimmy Kimmel and CBS This Morning. 

Capital Cities and Fitz and the Tantrums set themselves apart in the pop scene due to their use of horns. Both bands have received critical acclaim for this distinction. Capital Cities’ Spencer Ludwig plays trumpet, and Fitz and the Tantrums’ James King plays saxophone.

Opening for the two headlining acts was up-and-coming pop band Beat Club.

“I love it here,” said vocalist/keyboardist Jeff Kite. “[The show was great], we had so much fun. We met [Capital Cities] the day of the first show. I’m not sure how it all came together. I think they were looking for opening bands for their tour. We were submitted, they checked out a few of our songs, they liked what they heard, and that’s how it went down.”

Capital Cities was the second act of the evening. They opened with their hit single “Kangaroo Court” and got the audience moving right away. The band played through most of their album, and closed out their segment with an extended version of Safe and Sound. 

Fitz and the Tantrums closed out the night with a performance that really energized the crowd. They played songs from their most recent and original albums, including hits “Breakin’ the Chains of Love,” “Out of My League” and “Moneygrabber.”

The evening’s climax was when Capital Cities’ trumpet player Ludwig rushed on stage to square off with the Tantrums’ saxophonist King in a musical battle. The audience was extremely excited as the two horn players dueled.

“We could not be happier to be on the road for this tour with Capital Cities,” Fitzpatrick said.

Capital Cities ended the night promising they will be coming back.