Show #1: Bowery Ballroom, April 4 2005
After General Conference Priesthood Session with Dad and my brothers I met up with Amber and headed down to the Bowery Ballroom. The show was sold out but we paid $16 at the door to get in. I heard a guy bragging in the bathroom that he had just bought his ticket from someone outside for $60. My official review from my post that night was: "The show was: bananas."
Favorite Song of the Night: "Yeah" or "Daft Punk is Playing at My House" It was the first time I saw James Murphy play the cowbells and hit the drums, I didn't realize I was watching what would come to be my favorite part of all LCD Soundsystem shows.
Where We Stood: Left side of the stage, a few people back.
Show #2: Metro, May 21 2005
I was home in Chicago to see Revenge of the Sith with my family, the next night I went to Metro by myself for an MIA/LCD Soundsystem show. I was there for MIA (who I had tickets to see a few weeks later in New York) and had this too-cool-for-school "Well, I just saw them last month so I don't know if I'll stick around" attitude about the Soundsystem set. But I did stick around and I was blown away. My review from that old post: "This show was: platanos" also, "While LCD Soundsystem was definitely good when I saw them in New York, this night they were positively apocalyptic . . . The crowd appeared on the verge of spontaneous combustion throughout the entire set" and finally, "I'll say it now without hesitation: this concert was the best one I've seen all 2005."
Favorite Song of the Night: "Yeah" which I described in the post as a "bone-crushing."
Where I Stood: Chilled in the front of the balcony most of the time, stood in the back of the main floor for the end of the show.
First Show I Did Not See: Webster Hall, June 10th 2005
I did not see LCD Soundsystem at Webster Hall a few weeks after I saw them play Chicago because they did not have MIA with them. I felt like it was a rip off, and I also probably felt like I had seen enough of them right then.
But I was on a bus that passed people taking James Murphy's picture on 23rd street that summer.
Third Show: Webster Hall, Sept. 29 2005
I went to this Spin Magazine anniversary party all alone but discovered two different sets of unrelated friends I would have never expected I'd be spending the evening with there. LCD Soundsystem played a short but sweet set (the bill also included Public Enemy and Death Cab, among others) and by "short but sweet" I mean probably 30 minutes of pure hits. After they finished their little set with "Yeah" they were told they had a little more time left so they played "Movement." When Murphy announced that they'd be playing one more song he said "I'm calling an audible. Do you know what that means, 'calling an audible'?"
Favorite Song: "Yeah." I was coming into my own at this point, I had learned what I loved.
Where I Stood: Right in front, a little to the right.
Fourth Show: Bowery Ballroom, April 1 2007
Where does the time go? Hard to say. This was the second LCD Show (and not the last) I went to that coincided with Priesthood Session. I went with the Mulcocks, and Caitlin, who wasn't a Mulcock yet. She had left her ID at home and the bouncer made her go back to Harlem and get it but somehow, quite miraculously, she made it back in time for the set. Sound of Silver was brand new at this point, that's what was special about this show. I remember totally having the best time.
Favorite Song: "Yeah." This time I was really excited to experience "Yeah" after a year and a half without it.
Where We Stood: Right in front, on the right.
Second LCD Soundsystem Show I Did Not See: Randall's Island with Arcade Fire, October 6 2007
I do not remember my reason for not going to this show. I think it had to do with one of my brothers? Like visiting me? Or canceling a visit? No, you know what, I think I went to California that weekend for my Grandma's birthday. That's probably what happened. But I do remember selling my tickets on Craigslist. Probably missed a really great show.
Fifth Show: Terminal 5, May 22 2010
Once again, where does the time go? Somehow three years pass without seeing LCD Soundsystem? And in the meantime they've gone from selling out the Bowery to selling out Terminal 5. Went with a whole pack of friends (Tracy, Casey, Alyssa, Chateau, Carol, maybe even more than that?). This is Happening had just, just come out and we were excited to hear those songs. The show was a total party, perhaps the best LCD Soundsystem concert I ever saw except they did not play "Dance Yrself Clean" which just seemed like lunacy. But we they did close with a verse of "Empire State of Mind" at the end of "New York I Love You" and I did get a bloody finger from popping balloons from the balloon drop.
Favorite Song: "Yeah." I gave myself over the the beat this time. It was a journey.
Where We Stood: Right in front on the right.
Sixth and Final Show: Madison Square Garden, April 2 2010
If you know about the problems the whole world had with getting tickets to the last show, you know we were lucky to be there at all. The Mulcocks came up from Florida, Kat came up from DC, Tracy and I came down from the Upper West Side, and Julie came up from Battery Park City. If you haven't heard, the show was nearly four hours long . . . in some ways it was grueling, in all ways it was awesome. But not as loud as anyone expected it to be.
Favorite Song: "All My Friends" Surprise! A different song was my favorite. They played this at the end of their first set (the band and audience took three breaks during the marathon performance) but something about it struck a cord that night. I don't even particularly care for this very popular song of theirs, the album track doesn't totally do it for me, but something about that night, that jam did do it for me. And "Yeah" was a minor letdown . . . I think I have to be with the masses in front to get into it.
Favorite Song Runner-Up: They did the right thing, the sensible thing and started the show with "Dance Yrself Clean." When the drums kick in (you know what I'm talking about) individuals throughout the stadium tossed glow sticks and glow necklaces (or bracelets) through the air. That was planned on the internet. I'm sure of it.
Where We Stood: An invented space behind a table at the top of the second-to-last seating area. In other words, the nosebleeds seats, literally, as one of us got a sudden bloody nose during the show. I'm not kidding.
5 comments:
Brigham, an amazing post. I can't believe there was one LCD show I saw in NYC without you and almost another in Chicago. It almost seems wrong.
I echo your statements on All my Friends. While this song is Caitlins all time favorite and special to us because it was one of those songs we loved while courting, during the show it transcended beyond being a great song and made me near emotional, as it is right now. It just seemed to speak to nearly eight years of feeling a part of something remarkable, both what was happening on stage and off. We feel fortunate to have shared that with you.
my favorite song = someone great.
btw, sorry to hear it wasn't loud enough for you. but maybe that was the location? we lucked into tickets on the floor and it was plenty loud down there.
Great post.
Man you saw them a bunch. Slightly jealous. I only saw them once, but it was at such a good time. Still small(er), right after the first album.
The only time I've ever half picked up on/met a perfect stranger. We still internet chat sometimes, and that show was one of 2 times we've ever been in the same room together.
Such is the power of the Soundsystem.
going to see arcade fire tonight. couldn't be less excited. being up front at that last lcd show might have ruined concerts for me for a while.
as awesome as it was to see the whole arena lit up by a disco ball during us v them, i think my vote for favorite song of the night is losing my edge.
i love your pictures so much i want to get them pregnant.
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