Dance Yrself Clean: The End of LCD SoundsystemSo, James Murphy decided to call it quits. I can completely respect his decision (to get out because you're getting too big) even if I am envious of his position. How many people can say they've retired because they're getting too famous? And in classic LCD fashion, things ended with a bang...a weird, spaceman choir filled bang. Let me walk you though the night as I experienced it....
....but first: pizza.
Pizza
I just realized that macro shots of pizza are pretty damn creepy!
I arrived in New York as I arrive almost anywhere I go: hungry. Luckily, Waldy's Pizza was there to fix that with one of the best dishes I have ever had. I consider myself something of a pizza connoisseur (if I'm allowed to use a French word with an Italian dish), having eaten so damn much of it over the course of my various international travels, but this one ranks in my top three. Everything was just so damn fresh right down to the oregano and basil that you can clip yourself to season your meal. There wasn't much seating but this place is definitely worth the wait and since it's right near MSG you have no excuse for missing it if you are going there to see a show.
Not Pizza
Guess they weren't that popular after all!
That's...that's a bit better.
very quiet and low-key right to a full on electronic crunch with no transition in-between; the first time I heard the song in my car I nearly took a heart attack as I had cranked it up to hear the opening! Still, it's perfect for a concert; once that bass kicks in the entire place was jumping for the whole song. If you haven't heard it (or haven't heard it live), here's a great video which shows it off close up (Skip up to 4:00 if you don't want the whole intro, but the effect is better right from the start).
What a night!
Set two was mostly 45:33, the Nike commissioned piece...and spacemen. More specifically, I assume it was Shit Robot but just dressed as a glitter alien and all vocode'd. Anyway, this part was overall the weakest of the three (or four? It's all a bit fuzzy) but with that being said there were still some great moments like Reggie Watts and a fuckin' horn section. Set three was a great outro; Losing my Edge had all of the different bands he mentions flashed up on a big projector (Gil Scott-Heron!) along with a bit of Daft Punk's "Da Funk" thrown in there, and it even included a cover of Harry Nilsson's "Jump Into the Fire". The finale couldn't be anything other then "New York, I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down", in which James (after a full week of concerts and now the weight of his last song) couldn't help but give in to the emotions. I don't think there was a single person in that whole place who could keep it in, for that matter.
All and all, unforgettable. No matter his reasoning it's sad to see good bands go, and they will be missed.
