When a band garners a lot of attention on the American music scene, it's usually because whatever they're doing creatively is becomes a unique sound fans cannot hear anywhere else. LCD Soundsystem is one of these bands. There are elements of their music which sound distinctly familiar, however, when you meld electronic dance music with a studious attention to indie-rock, writing and stretching the imagination, you end up with LCD Soundsystem who played over two hours of joyous music for a sold-out crowd at the now-famous, Stubb's BBQ in downtown Austin, Texas Tuesday evening.
Music producer, DJ and artist, James Murphy is responsible for LCD's rise in popularity, culminating in a celebrated set at Coachella this past April and a string of dates in the US and Europe this Summer. The New York City-based band has recorded their second official LP this past year, “This is Happening” which has reecieved much critical praise. The song, “Drunk Girls” has been a mild hit on college radio.
Holy Ghost opened the show with a set that produced a few flashbacks to the 80s prompted by the familiar sound of the synthesizer and harmonized vocals. Flock of Seagulls came to mind. Their 30 minute set was subdued due to intense heat and humidity in Austin on Tuesday. It was all fans could do to bob their heads to the music. Dancing would be saved for LCD's set. Thankfully, a light breeze blew most of the evening and the weather continued to cool as the night wore on.
Murphy rolled out “Drunk Girls” second song of the set and LCD never looked back, driving the devoted crowd to pogo up and down to hits like “I Can Change” and “Pow Pow”. The set list included a fair number of older hits to complement the new material Murphy chose for the Stubb's BBQ set. Murphy joked with the crowd reminding them to enjoy the music instead of focusing on getting “video that sounds crappy”. He has a point.
Here is the set list:
Us v Them
Drunk Girls
Yr City's A Sucker
Pow Pow
Daft Punk Is Playing At My House
All My Friends
I Can Change
Tribulations
Movement
Yeah
Encore:
Someone Great
Losing My Edge
New York, I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down
Empire State of Mind (Jay-Z cover)
With the crowd jumping up and down in a frenzy, you'd be hard-pressed to get decent still shot of the band let alone record quality video. The accuracy of the performance was astounding, with the perfectionist, Murphy reproducing the sound on the album nearly flawlessly. The song, "All My Friends" prompted a full-blown mosh-pit in front of the stage with fans pogoing wildly while Murphy and the band urged them on.
A four-song encore capped by an unexpected cover of Jay-Z's, "Empire State of Mind" completed what was one of the best shows at Stubb's since Phoenix played a sold-out show in in April. One thing is for sure, the space in front of the stage at Austin City Limits Music Festival in October will be crammed with fans, including Austin Concerts Examiner when LCD returns to town.
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LCD Soundsystem "I Can Change"
Comments
Great writeup on a fantastic show! I loved the mix of their old and new stuff.
Sounds like it was a great show! Now I have a new band to add to my iTunes. LCD Soundsystem's song "I Can Change" reminds me of the music I loved as a teenager back in the 80's.
Thanks for the kind words Daniel. With a DJ performing, we knew there'd be the proper mix in the set list. Kelly, I totally agree. There's an element of nostalgia that comes with LCD that makes sweet memories come. Love that song too. ~G
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