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M.I.A. and LCD Soundsystem at 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C. - 6/12/05
This Sunday night concert at the 9:30 Club was unlike any other Ive been to before. I knew that the double-bill of M.I.A. and LCD Soundsystem would be good, but I had no idea the venue would obtain such a dance club, almost techno-like vibe by the end of the night. M.I.A. began the show with a clip shown on a screen of Tony Blair saying things like you know whats quite interesting is followed by a clip of George W. Bush saying (sounding a bit idiotically, I might add) M-I-A, giving everyone a good laugh. She then hit the stage with an emcee at her side and DJ Control behind her. It didnt take long for her to get the crowd going, and her dancing prompted everyone in the crowd to join her, including a fan directly in front of the stage named Ahmad, who after shaking his ass for a song, was asked to leave the stage by the 9:30 Club staff. M.I.A. wasnt having that though; she brought him up again during her encore, dancing and backing it up with him and her emcee, which seemed a bit much for some of the people; but most of the audience cheered them on, as if he was the fan who would represent all of us not lucky enough to be pulled onstage. M.I.A. made a point to get the entire crowd involved, jumping on top of speakers and dancing from one side of the stage to the other. But it was the mix of her music with other songs like Missy Elliotts Work It that worked the crowd, and of all of the songs, it was her performance of Galang that really got everyone moving and set the tone for LCD Soundsystem to follow.
LCD Soundsystem rocked the house with their set, despite frequent technical difficulties with the bass guitar. The crowd was less attentive to that though, and more excited about hearing songs like their single Movement and their Siouxsie & The Banshees cover. And between songs, the crowd was riled after it was proclaimed guitar player Phil Mossmans night, meaning he was the recipient of all of the applause when lead singer James Murphy yelled Phil! Towards the end of the show, Ahmad, the same guy who joined M.I.A. onstage, was brought up by Murphy and continued to show off his stripper-like dance moves throughout the encore of the show, as if he were the sixth member of the group. The audience seemed to enjoy it. While Murphys singing came close to screeching at times, their spontaneity coupled with their new approach to some of their songs, such as Daft Punk is Playing at My House, combined with M.I.A.s ability to get the crowd moving provided a show that was worth seeing. Alas, this was M.I.A.s last performance on tour with LCD Soundsystem, but you can catch her solo overseas this summer.
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