M83 when you’re 5’3”
Attending a concert in the Netherlands is not your typical gig. One major factor being the average height of attendees gets close to 6’. But it’s OK, if you ask nicely they’ll let you up front.
Somebody needs to gets statistics going about how much work has been created by designers whilst listening to ‘Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming’. If you want to feel badass, you work to that album. After missing M83 the first time round in Amsterdam, I made sure to grab tickets to Paradiso on Thursday June 21st before they undoubtedly sold out. Apprehensive of a room full of hipsters, myself and my museologist friend Miriam made our way.
Hats, beards and checkered shirts aside, Paradiso is THE place to see a gig in Amsterdam. I couldn’t believe what an intimate setting it was–and for twenty bucks! Berlin, eat your shorts. As two girls at the lower end of 5’, we struggled to see much as the gig kicked off. See photo below for reference, let it be noted I’m holding my iPhone up in the air too.
What’s nice about the atmosphere in there is people obliging let us slip to the front. It involved a lot of tapping on shoulders, them looking around and then down at two girls who looked like they escaped from the album cover.
Besides Gonzalez, there was some stellar support: female vocalist Morgan Kibby (who co-wrote Intro, Midnight City and Reunion) owned the keyboard and finished up on the tambourine. Jordan Lawlor, the 20 year old multi-instrumentalist–aka music man–spent the night ricocheting around the stage.
But the show? Epic. Grandiose. Moving. Awe-inspiring. With eleven years in the music business under his belt, Anthony knows what to do. I’ve a feeling even those who aren’t fans would get goosebumps, it’s music that’s impossible to stand still to. Which is exactly why Rolling Stones credits M83’s breakthrough with a ‘universal’ sound.
Their encore felt like a live Tron clip.
Here’s a link to Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr’s remix of ‘Reunion’. And another piece for you, see below for a video of the sax solo. Around 10 seconds in I rather pervily (is that a word? Should it be?) albeit accidentally caught Anothony and Maggie having a nice moment.
