Daft Punk @ Arrow Hall
The show had literally already started. I was at The Wheat Sheaf on the corner of King and Bathurst enjoying a beer and half price hot wings when I got a call from a desperate friend of mine. "Dude, Daft Punk are on right now and I can't find anyone to go with me to the show. Y'interested?" Honest answer? Not entirely. My knowledge of the Parisian electronic French-pop duo is limited, and electronic dance ain't really my thing. But ironically and completely by fluky coincidence, I had been introducing myself to their brilliantly catchy retro-esque 2nd album "Discovery" this past week, so I thought, well, if I'm not paying for it then of course I'll introduce myself to new horizons. The verdict? Actually pretty impressive.
From a strictly visual standpoint, the show was unbelievable. The light show was the type of thing that could make movie special effects type people quit their day job. The guys looked totally strapping in their tailor made robot costumes as they stood atop a giant pyramid object that would alternate between flashing laser beams, coloured lights and images of people who are only "Human After All." And apparently the crowd was really into colour, because every time the lights changed colours, the crowdspeople would cheer. Oh, how they loved the colours! I however had to occasionally divert my eyes from the strobe light out of concern for the fact that I might just pass out. After all, I'm not 31 anymore.
As far as the music goes, there's a lot that I could obviously rant about. Being very much an advocate of the human aspect of music, there clearly was not a lot of "human" going on up there. I couldn't see one instrument, and the two robot dudes (who technically may or may not be the actual Daft Punk if you really think about it (Milli Vanilli flashbacks anyone?)) could simply be doing nothing more than pressing the play button for all I know. And for indie snobs like myself, that electronic dance that the kids listen to these days does get to be a little repetitive. However, that having been said, in this setting, it really is huge chunk of fun if all you wanna do is shake your dancey groove thang! Which is what I did! The hits were all there: "Around The World," "Da Funk," "One More Time," and "Human After All" to name a few. Add to that, the fact that they mixed, mashed, remixed and remashed those songs to keep things interesting, and you've got yourself a pretty solid show that even made the indie kids dance.
Download:
Digital Love mp3
Visit Daft Punk on myspace.
Come see my Daft Punk pics on flickr.
Labels: arrow hall, concert review, daft punk, dance, electronic, french.
posted by Bobby B at 6:20 AM
4 Comments:
You may not have scene it, but there are pictures of what is on the INSIDE of the pyramid: 4 Moog Voyager racks, various MIDI controllers for Ableton Live, and basic mixing equipment.
I've wondered if that was indeed them up in the pyramid, too. I'd like to think if I had the opportunity to rock some venue packed with thousands of people worshipping my every move, that I'd probably do it rather than have some "stand-in." Just my 2.
9:31 PM
Thanks for your comments Eric. Oh, I'm pretty sure that it's probably them up there, but I was just making a point concerning why this type of concert isn't really my thing. The theatrics were beyond impressive, but personally, I'd rather see a guy sitting on a stool playing a guitar than a bunch of flashing lights and cool lasers. A couple of guys in robot costumes is incredibly entertaining to some, but personally I'm way more entertained by watching a human's fingers dance along the fretboard of a Fender, or a drummer pounding at the skins of his drum kit with impeccable precision and timing. But I don't knock the people at this show, just saying it's not my thing, that's all.
4:43 AM
Not that I'm arguing against how you felt about the concert (different strokes for diff'rent folks and all that), but i thought i'd respond for the heck of it.
Many people have wondered if it was actually them at each concert, and the guy's of Daft Punk's response in a recent interview, was, in essence "Are you kidding? Of course it's us up there every time! If you had the chance to do what we do at a live show, you'd be up there too! We wouldn't give up our place on that pyramid for anything!"
2:44 PM
Thanks for the comments Caleb. regardless of my thoughts, if I was in their shoes I'd feel the same way. It must be euphoric up there.
BTW, this post was over a year ago and I have to admit that, there's a part of me that craves to see them again. Who knew?
3:47 PM
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