Now that I’ve had a few days to regroup and collect my thoughts, I thought that I should definitely document a pretty monumental (well, monumental in my own, personal scope) musical happening that I just recently experienced.
Sunday night at Madison Square Garden (4/2/2011) marked the end of a decade long career for LCD Soundsystem, a band who I’d gotten to know only a year ago. It was my first time seeing them live and inevitably my last. I didn’t realize how special Sunday night was until I had time to sit back, re-listen to their records, and reflect on the fact that I was lucky enough to be a part of something truly great.
I couldn’t have asked for a better setlist. They played all of my favorite songs and then some.The night started with the subdued beginnings of “Dance Yrself Clean.” By the time the synths/percussion really kicked in about 3 minutes into that song, I knew exactly what the night was going to be…an all out dance party! I honestly can’t put into words the feeling that overcame the Garden during that song – it’s like the arena just EXPLODED! People were in the aisles going nuts the entire show and I absolutely loved it. A few of my favorite moments from the show were the aforementioned opener, “Too Much Love,” “Get Innocuous,” “North American Scum,” and “Tribulations.” Arcade Fire even crashed the party and screamed their lungs out to the chorus of North American Scum…talk about EPIC. I hadn’t noticed until a few songs into the set that there was an all male choir backing the band, and when they finally made their presence known I was BLOWN away. Particularly, toward the end of “Too Much Love” the choir layered with James’ vocals and created such a beautiful dissonance that it sent chills up my spine.
I was looking forward to really throwing down when they played “Daft Punk Is Playing at My House.” However, I was slightly disappointed to find that the band had traded the original, funkier arrangement of the song for a faster tempoed one which relied heavily on the influence of brass instruments. I’m not saying it was a bad arrangement in the least, but compared to what I was expecting this less danceable (for lack of a better term) interpretation left my expectations slightly unsatisfied.
The band also played virtually their entire 45:33 EP. This was the only section of the show with which I was unfamiliar. I hadn’t taken the time to acquaint myself with these songs beforehand so, to my loss, I wasn’t able to appreciate them like I wanted to. In all honesty, about 25 minutes into that portion of the show I had to sit down and take a break. The EP is a bit much too take in all at once, especially if you’ve never heard it and have already been dancing for hours.
Even with a few very minor qualms, there is hardly anything bad that anyone could say about this show – It was emotional, it was exciting, it was intense, it was over-the-top, everything that you could want in a show. At the time I was bitching about the show being so long. But, it’s their last show ever…what do you expect?
LCD Soundsystem put on the concert of their life. I tried to snap a few pictures with my iPhone but since we were so far away from the stage they didn’t really turn out. I’m still overjoyed and SO thankful that I made the last minute decision to buy tickets, and I’m pretty sure my musical partner in crime, Jared, feels the same way. Now every time I listen to them, I can look back on the fact that I got to share one of the most important nights of the band’s career with them and one of my best friends. The power of music is the most beautiful thing in the world, and being a part of their farewell show was one of many instances that reinforced that notion for me. Thank you, LCD Soundsystem.
Check out the last song of the their last concert, an emotional “New York, I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down.”
