There’s always a bit of trepidation when a concert has been split into a doubleheader and the front of your ticket reads “early show,” even when that show was added later due to such high demand. We all know a line will have formed for the late show even as the early performance continues inside, so what kind of time constraints might come into play? And with a second, more primetime slot looming, might the night’s first outing be more of a low energy trial run, so as to preserve gusto for the main event? These questions are natural. When M83 is at the top of the bill, they’re also rendered irrelevant.
M83’s sound is one of spaciousness, most recently evidenced by the soaring double disc Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming, songs from which provided the centerpiece of the band’s DC set. Regularly bathed in blue, pink, and red and occasionally freckled with a green or turquoise laser bolt from the rear of the stage, Anthony Gonzalez’s four-piece delivered a performance not so much defined by energy, but by magnitude. Using a phenomenal rendition of “Intro” — the aptly named lead cut from the new album — as a launching point, they rolled right into “Midnight City,” a track that has long since established itself as one of my favorites of the year. Here in this club setting, the highlight song took on a refreshingly different feel. The bass was much more commanding, the distinguished valleys packed a slightly heavier wallop, and the climax was a touch more rugged. M83 have truly carved out a progressive new dynamic for what has now become one of their all-time signature songs.
Though this night was defined by Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming (“Wait,” “Reunion,” “Year One, One UFO”), the setlist featured fan favorite Saturdays = Youth predominantly as well. “Kim & Jessie” took a crowd still reeling from “Midnight City” and treated them almost like hypnosis victims, using wavering synthesizers and vocals tucked way down in the mix to guide the mood of the entire room. For most of the song I couldn’t be bothered to even look at the band, instead enthralled at the way the first few rows of fans would slowly lean their heads back in the build up towards the chorus as if entranced, then snap them forward in unison once the hook came in.
Before winding down the main set and breaking for the encore (rousing renditions of “Skin of the Night” and “Couleurs” that featured a bit of acrobatic guitar work), M83 dropped the calling card of the show: a rendition of “Steve McQueen” that turned the song from addictive album cut to behemoth live blowout. The band’s entire aesthetic is built around bringing together an assortment of instruments and genres and tying them together with a synthetic bow, but this was far and away their most indulgent, unifying effort of the night. It also appeared like the band’s most busy and focused, with each member frantically turning knobs, stomping pedals, and even changing instruments amidst the night’s most elaborate display of flickering, flashing pastel lights.
There’s always reason for apprehension with a potentially shackled first show preceding a later one, but in this case, those jitters dissolved quickly. Between songs, Gonzalez addressed the crowd graciously; it was abundantly clear that he wanted to put on a memorable show and he and his band more than delivered. It was a grandiose showing that, much like the starry atmospherics they’re known for, seemed to defy all gravity.
M83 Setlist:
Intro
Midnight City
Kim and Jessie
Teen Angst
Run Into Flowers
Wait
We Own The Sky
Reunion
Claudia Lewis
Year One, One UFO
Steve McQueen
Outro
Skin Of The Night
Couleurs
