Daft Punk, Kavinsky, and the Rapture
The Greek Theater, Berkeley, CA
July 27, 2007

I don't go to as many shows as i used to, but a quick glance at my concert history in this blog demonstrates that nevertheless, i go to a lot of gigs. However, in a revelation that will surprise no one, there's a lot i don't like about the concert-hopper lifestyle. Lousy opening acts, sore feet, mandatory encores ... even shows by bands that i idolize can leave me feeling a bit underwhelmed. Moreover, i've railed on in the past about the uselessness of electronica shows ... in brief, i'm not enamored of watching guys twist knobs and play with turntables for three hours. I want to see some live music. So how is it that French beepsters Daft Punk put together the most exhilarating concert of the year?

Following the previous week's spectacle in L.A., i spent the next week in Minneapolis surveying the state of medical physics and mourning the fact that i didn't have "Robot Rock" on my iPod. I returned on Wednesday to get in a couple of days at work. Come Friday, i met up with V as well as Kevin and Shyoko in SF to drive to northside in Berkeley. I convinced our crew to stop for a Top Dog, which again failed to entice Veronica and again meant we were a few minutes late to the gig, arriving at the tail end of the Rapture's anthemic "House of Jealous Lovers". The San Franciscans turned New Yorkers have gotten a bit funkier on their most recent effort Pieces of the People We Love, a sound that met with a generally positive reception from the raver audience. Our group expanded with the arrival of Gary and subsequently Naomi and Phil, and we consumed a few drinks while enjoying the openers. Next up was another French DJ duo, Kavinsky. Turns out they'd also opened in L.A., although at the time we thought they were some random segue act. The turntablists spun some mean beats, moving from their own electronic compositions to more familiar remixes. The highlight was a fierce reworking of Rage Against the Machine's "Killing in the Name". After a few more beers and/or sujo cranberrys, we were set for the emergence of the spacemen. And around 9pm they entered their cosmic pyramid and launched into the thumping "Robot Rock".

The vibe was distinctly different than the previous show in the L.A. Sports Arena, trading an enormous indoor venue for a more intimate wooded outdoor location. Although i had no qualms with the SoCal crowd, the Berkeley audience seemed more ecclectic to me ... a group of ravers in the pit were decked out in silver with bright halogen lights, and everyone in our vicinity was getting down. Including, oddly enough, me. I danced all the way through the show, screaming at the opening notes of "Around the World", shaking my arms to "One More Time", applauding the guys dancing on the barriers a few rows in front of us. I was in another place for the entire performance, a place that i rarely find at shows regardless of my level of appreciation for those on stage. Midway through the set the silver army blew up a number of balloons and placed white lights inside each, which then bounced through the crowd for ten minutes or so. The music and visuals were the same as in L.A., but familiarity didn't diminish the show's impact. As the pair exited the stage after the main set, the audience was a sea of hands making the shape of a pyramid. The encore consisted of a reprise of "Human After All", followed by "One More Time" set to Stardust's hit "Music Sounds Better with You". I witnessed the entire build-up to Daft Punk's metamorphosis into Tron this time. The walls of the pyramid fill with red, which then empty and pulse through the lattices flanking the duo. The pulse then reenters the pyramid and races toward the band, who become outlined in red to the delight of the crowd.

As the house lights came on, i marvelled that for once i was genuinely saddened at the close of the show. Instead of thankful for the opportunity to get off my feet, or merely content at the evening's entertainment. An act that consisted of prerecorded music and a light show had trumped the vast majority of performances by proper groups. And i've apparently embraced my raver alter-ego.

login to submit comments