amazing show. if you didn't make it, start kicking yourself. based on LCD's performance at coachella, i wasn't expecting much. dunno if it was the venue, or the crowd, or the band, or (most likely) a combo of all three, but that was simply a great performance. i was down on the floor about 25 feet away from the stage, and the energy was probably the strongest i've ever felt it at the club. if anything, this show puts to rest the "DC doesn't dance" stereotype - the place was hopping (not sure who won the dance competition, tho
). the main set, which clocked in at just over an hour, was damn near dance-rawk perfection. the last song, "yeah", was incredible. james admitted that his voice wasn't in top shape but he soldiered through and gave us a hell of a show.
two low points: one, the encore. after a very energetic and sincere 5-10 minutes of applause and screaming, the band came back out and played... "new york i love you but you're bringing me down". and then left. very anti-climactic after having made the crowd shake their asses off for an hour+ and made them scream for an encore. meh. second, the volume. tonight's show was TOO LOUD. even with my etymotics in all the way, my ears had a little ringing on the way out. the encore may well have clocked in as the loudest blues ever played at the club.
opener, yacht, didn't do much for me. funky white boy spastically singing/rapping along to pre-recorded/pre-mixed tracks on a laptop. he did get top marks for audience participation and making the most of a one-man/no-instrument show. he dove in to the crowd twice and cleared a path for himself that he danced & thrashed through. i guess that was kinda fun, but the music just wasn't there to back him up.
nice to meet nkotb, and thanks to kosmo for his hospitality. kosmo played a dancier/techno-ier set that i expected, which i enjoyed a lot. i get half a scene-point for lucky-guessing the hawtin track
