Anthony Gonzalez of M83 (Photo by: Shane Colman)
French dream-pop band M83 delivered a mesmerizing performance at the Civic Theatre last week for their first show in three years. Despite the time off the road, the band showed no signs of rust (the band flew in a day early to rehearse at The Civic) as they tore through a polished set of their best material to a sold-out crowd.
M83 mastermind Anthony Gonzalez has been crafting gorgeously lush electronic music since forming the band in 2001. Their 2011 album, Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming, became a huge critical and commercial hit, yielding the inescapable single “Midnight City” and making the band a household name. Since then, Gonzalez has been busy scoring films, working on a new record, and assembling the current touring lineup of the band.
M83 (Photo by: Shane Colman)
Last week’s show saw the band in top form, blasting through fan favorites and premiering new songs from their latest record, Junk. In front of a shifting landscape of lights, Gonzalez lead the band with the confidence of an international pop star without ever losing his fine attention to sound textures. Every song brought something different, with Gonzalez jumping from synths to guitar and sharing lead vocal duties with guitarist Jordan Lawlor and keyboardist Kaela Sinclair. The Civic, already established as one of the best new listening rooms in the city, served as a perfect space for the massive walls of sound.
The impressive stage production enhanced the show without ever distracting from the music on display. New song “Go!” featured a countdown that synced up with the moving stage lights and “Midnight City” was illuminated like a fluorescent rainbow. Gonzalez nailed the quieter songs as well, including an emotional rendition of fan favorite “Wait.”
M83 continue their world tour through the rest of 2016, including dates at Coachella and Bonnaroo between treks through Asia and Europe. If this first show is any indication, M83 are poised to become a live powerhouse as they make their way around the world and pick up tons of new fans in the process.
Setlist
Reunion
Do It, Try It
Steve McQueen
We Own the Sky
Bibi the Dog
Solitude
Couleurs
Walkway Blues
OK Pal
Oblivion
Road Blaster
Wait
Go!
Midnight City
Echoes of Mine
Outro
Intro
For the Kids
Laser Gun
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