Just like they did in April, LCD Soundsystem's current residency at Brooklyn Steel focuses mostly on the hits, shares some new jams, and overall sees James Murphy and company firing away on all cylinders for a hypnotic night full of infectious grooves.
Since April, the band has shared two new tracks ("Call the Police" and "American Dream"), announced a new album (American Dream), have signed to Columbia Records, and announced a world tour, which conveniently ends with yet another Brooklyn residency. For those who saw the band this past April, expect nothing new. The format and setlist (a bunch of old songs, a few of the new ones, and two classics to close) haven't changed and it's unclear as to whether that'll happen as the tour progresses. That's not, however, to say the show was dull and anyone catching the band for the first time this year, since they reunited, or in general, will surely be pleased, but a bit of the excitement has died down since the band announced their comeback. Still, hearing these songs will always bring signs of joy and triumph. "Daft Punk is Playing at My House" was vibrant and full of life, "I Can Change" was a crystalized ballroom ballad, and "Movement" was an all out assault on the dance floor. An unbelievably satisfying moment when dance-punk truly lived up to its name and the band seemed to lay it all out on stage, never once surrendering to their age or exhaustion. Despite seeing the band so recently, their live show is still a wonderful spectacle to see and while James looked rather stiff this go-around, it's hard to beat a crowd that is so passionate and where every song seems to conjure up some long forgotten feeling from a time when the band was still in their original run. The throbbing "Someone Great" and the forever aching "New York I Love You But You're Brining Me Down" are two iconic songs to end a set and their emotional toll is heavy, but profound and a beautifully unifying moment. For the new tracks, there was a new buzz that took over the crowd as anticipation mounted between set breaks, but the payoff wasn't quite worth the hype. "Emotional Haircut" felt like a ditty with rather bizarre lyrics and the ramming synth line of "Tonite" didn't really kick-in until the final breakdown and only then did the crowd really start to feel the energy. "Call the Police", however, really kicked things into gear. Serving as the lead single for the new record, this song is the one that felt most like an LCD classic. A churning bass line heightened by a shining guitar melody over a krauty drum beat all while Murphy lays down the law of the land in our current messed-up climate. If anything, the reunion might be worth it for this song alone. After the disco waltz of "American Dream" it was a solid one-two punch of "Dance Yrself Clean" and the forever-genius "All My Friends" to close out the night. Two tracks that perhaps send LCD fans into a state of euphoria more than anything else. As tension builds and the beat drops during "Dance Yrself Clean", it's a majestic moment of pure ecstasy as the crowd lets loose of any and all energy that somehow remained throughout the night. Of course, the farewell with "All My Friends" will always be one of the hardest moments to top and each time the songs somehow seems to take on new meaning. This time, it was watching James climb onto the speakers and just belt out the final notes as his band went into an all out jam behind him. By the end of the year, LCD will have played 22 shows at Brooklyn Steel a number that seems to rival Elton John or Billy Joel at MSG and while not much will most likely change between those shows, they'll still be monumental for anyone that considers themselves a fan. Monumental for anyone who wants to claim "I was there!"
Set list:
01 "Us v Them"
02 "Daft Punk Is Playing at My House"
03 "I Can Change"
04 "Get Innocuous!"
05 "You Wanted a Hit"
06 "Tribulations"
07 "Movement"
08 "Yeah"
09 "Someone Great"
10 "New York, I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down"
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11 "Emotional Haircut"
12 "Tonite"
13 "Call The Police"
14 "American Dream"
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15 "Dance Yrself Clean"
16 "All My Friends"
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