LCD Soundsystem played Knockdown Center (Night 1)

LCD Soundsystem season is officially underway in New York City as the band kicked-off their annual residency ahead of the holidays.

There's a lot to love about a tradition. In many cases, they can bring about a certain nostalgia that hits home and helps to recall the best times from the past. Ever since the pandemic began to lift in New York City, LCD Soundsystem has established that the end of the year has become the annual time for the band to take over a venue in their hometown and play a string of shows that help remind people just how they've become a symbolic band of their era. After a few years of dedicating their time to Williamsburg's Brooklyn Steel, the band expanded their outreach last year with their Tri-Boro Tour that hit Manhattan's Terminal 5 and Knockdown Center in Queens and this year they've decided to pull-up to the later venue for the full run of shows that'll stretch into mid-December. Setting up a pop-up version of James Murphy's Michelin-stared restaurant Four Horsemen as well as rounds of DJs, this year's residency of the annual winer FUNction (as they've declared it) felt like a more encompassing party than past years and really helped step up the vibes. After the show, the crowd could stick around as more international DJs took over the turntables and drinks kept flowing, brining the afterparty directly to the crowd. From the get go, however, the build-up was intoxicating and you could feel the sense of joy begin to rise as we got closer to start time. Once the lights went down and the band took to the stage, it was on and the band locked in to deliver the hits. As one of the most consistent bands of all time, there was never any doubt that the band would hit hard and deliver their onslaught of hits with sheer force and driving rhythms that set the crowd off, igniting the dance floor from the jump and never letting up for the following two hours. Years into this tradition, the band's standard set list has seen little change, but even with the expected hits, the rush of adrenaline and absolute euphoric sensation of hearing these tunes live still deliver the same bursts of joy and prove to be one of the most reliable live acts, time and time again. It's like settling in to the perfect holiday movie that instantly evokes pure elation via absolute comfort. Taking advantage of the cavernous hall of Knockdown Center, lights were positioned on the ceiling all throughout the space and on the wooden columns that flanked the dance floor as well and when they came into play throughout the set, they helped add to the show's brilliant dynamics and brought the energy from the stage and injected it directly into the crowd. The extreme pulsating beats of "Tribulations" elevated the night and the band lived up to their dance-punk label as they thrashed through "Movement" with a bruising sense of force. Packed on stage amongst their mountains of gear, the band wrangled out these crushing dance anthems with dazzling sprinkles of disco pleasure over grinding proto-punk rhythms. Focusing on their pre-reunion portion of their career, the older singles revved things up while their later jams allowed for more melodic grooves and extended melodies. After their first break to use the bathroom and grab some water, the band came back for the flatlining new song "x-ray eyes" which felt equally as dull live as it does on record, but immediately rebounded with a rousing "Daft Punk Is Playing at My House" that sparked the inferno that would over take the rest of the night. Following a stunning "Home." the band took one more break before re-emerging for their final victory lap which they've cemented as their trademark exit over the years and one that stands as one of the best finales of all time. As always, the drop in "Dance Yrself Clean" erupted and set off the final rush before the drawn out piano of "New York, I Love You but You're Bringing Me Down" brought things to a moment of deep reflection. As I've noted on many occasions in the past, the unbelievable feeling that comes with bearing witness to LCD close out their show with "All My Friends" remains undefeated and this one felt particularly epic. To see LCD Soundsystem live to is to experience unparalleled joy and making it an annual tradition is something truly special. 

Set list:

01 "Us v Them"
02 "You Wanted a Hit"
03 "Tribulations"
04 "Movement"
05 "Tonite"
06 "I Can Change"
07 "Time to Get Away"
08 "American Dream"
09 "Get Innocuous!"
10 "Yr City's a Sucker"
11 "new body rhumba"
12 "Someone Great"
13 "Losing My Edge"
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14 "x-ray eyes"
15 "Daft Punk Is Playing at My House"
16 "Home"
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17 "Dance Yrself Clean"
18 "New York, I Love You but You're Bringing Me Down"
19 "All My Friends"