| MGMT are not your jukebox. |
| Written by Sarah Mudgway |
| Wednesday, 22 July 2009 09:08 |
 July 21st 2009; marked night one of three, for Brooklyn-based MGMT's sold-out set of New Zealand shows. Glow sticks dotted the darkened Powerstation, which was filled with an eclectic mix of cougar, indie-hipster and jock. It’s crazy, what sort of audience a couple of hit singles on mainstream radio partnered with a psychedelic indie-rock album, appeals to. More accustomed to seeing MGMT-the-band as a cape-wearing-hippie-duo, the band sauntered on-stage wearing a safe and standard costume choice of jeans, t-shirt and jacket. Rather than playing over, or to a backing track, Andrew and Ben were joined by three talented musicians who added a different dimension to their show. Opening their 75 minute set with 'Future Reflections', a loyal few at the front attempted to start up their so obviously desired dance party... However, the dancing soon died to a near standstill as the mellow and experimental instrumentals coming from the stage, were more appropriate for an indie-show rather than a dance-party. The lack of crowd reaction for the vast majority of MGMT's set, was in no way a reflection of the performance the band provided. Musically; the group are extremely talented and polished, which was perfectly showcased in flawless five-part harmonies in tracks such as 'Weekend Wars' and 'Pieces Of What'. The first single of the night; 'Time To Pretend', arrived halfway into the set and provided a much needed breath of life, into the so far lacklustre audience. If it wasn’t blatantly obvious beforehand, the burst of life during the radio-friendly was a clear indication that MGMT sold out their shows based on their three radio singles... and those three singles, were all that 95% of the audience really cared about. This point was exemplified further when a group of males close by stated; “I’m bored... who can I hit on?”, during one of MGMT's new tracks, which was a Kaiser Chiefs 'I Predict A Riot'-reminiscent number. A noteable and personally appreciated aspect of MGMT's performance, was their ‘don’t care’ attitude towards the loud chatter and restlessness of the majority of concert goers, during their lesser known tracks. In my time of concert attendance, I’ve come across many bands who strive too hard to get movement in a crowd, only to come across desperate and somewhat embarrassed when said movement does not happen (I should note, generally I’ve only see this happen with support bands... I find it odd, yet not surprising that MGMT as a headliner, came across the same lack of crowd enthusiasm...) Instead, MGMT continued on with their set list, providing moments of true musical beauty with shoegaze-like instrumentals and jam-session-esque extensions into tracks such as 'The Youth', which were nothing short of stunning. As the opening beats to 'Electric Feel' rang out across the Powerstation, the lyrics “shock me like an electric eel” of their New Zealand breakout single, seemed like they had never been more applicable than at that very moment; where an electric shock-like jolt moved through the venue. The live performance as opposed to backing track, put a different spin on the dance-floor anthem, which I found refreshing. As soon the band exited the stage, the obligatory ‘encore’ chants started up... which won an easy-award for loudest audience participation of the night. After a few short minutes, Andrew and Ben were back on stage, joined with one of their backing musicians carrying a toy gorilla. Performing crowd favourite 'Kids' to a backing track, (the only song of the night without live musicians aside from the gorilla ‘playing’ bongos in a scene lifted from the infamous Cadbury commercial), the crowd left on a high as their dance-floor dreams had been realized. If I could give any piece of advice to any concert-goers of their two remaining shows, it would be to give their album a full listen before you go. MGMT are not your jukebox; rather they are a talented and inspired indie-pop act who stumbled upon mainstream success and have been riding the wave of sold-out shows, ever since. Leave the glow sticks at home... and ready yourselves for a night of musical magic, with a sprinkling of dance-floor antics for good measure.  |
