Daft Punk at the Greek

July 27th saw a sold out house at the Greek Theater with individuals eagerly anticipating the doors to open for the Daft Punk concert. Kicking off the festivities was the Rapture who wasted no time getting the party started. Fresh off their two explosive shows in L.A., these guys were on point right out the gates as they ran through hit after hit off their latest, “Pieces Of The People We Love” album. Heavily melodic and bass-driven, their acid-disco funk sound, a sound we’ve come to know and love from these boys, left the crowd pumped and ready for more. Take note; look out for various remixes coming out soon on vinyl… definitely off the hook!

As Daft Punk got ready behind a black curtain on stage, the audience was treated to a barrage of tunes selected by the noisy Ed Banger DJs: Sebastian, Kavinsky and Justice. While most of the crowd waited patiently, a few out there could be heard screaming to the tracks being dropped including a bizarre remix of Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing in the Name Of”. Their unconventional use of synthesizers along with their cutting-edge electro style leaves one asking what exactly are they putting in the Parisian wine? Truth be told, Paris, home of both Ed Banger Records and Daft Punk, has been exploding the past couple of years by supplying a whole new batch of electro to club goers in Europe, New York, and California.

Finally, as the crowd goes silent and the curtain goes up, a pyramid of lights resembling a robotic ship ushers in the main event: Daft Punk. The music slowly builds to what finally becomes a non-stop light show of florescent beams forming small triangles that connect to the mother pyramid where our French duo stand behind their control center fully draped in futuristic robot suits and their signature masks. Even with their many differences it’s hard to ignore the strong Kraftwerk influence in their performance. At the end of the day, one can’t get away from those four computer boys who started it all.

The duo seamlessly flow through their classics including several versions of “One More Time”, “Harder Better Faster Stronger”, “Robot Rage” and “Around the World”. The added touches and slight twists of each tune came as a nice refreshing experience for those of us who’ve had their fair share of club play from these songs. Meanwhile, the continuous light show had the crowd fully engaged to every beat. The highlight of the night was their visual take on “Technologic”.

This concert was a great showcase of talent that inspires hope for the future of the genre. It was also a great way to cover more than a decade of dance music. Whether it was the Rapture, the Ed Banger boys and or Daft Punk it definitely met the expectations of most if not all in attendance … now its time to go find those damn remixes!

Posted in Concerts