LCD Soundsystem went out with a bang last night at Madison Square Garden in NYC. The band’s grand finale included rarities, balloons and a guest spot by Arcade Fire over the course of the marathon performance. All in all, James Murphy and his band played a total of 29 songs with lots of honest and at times hilarious banter interspersed. It was the rare heavily hyped show that lived up to the massive expectations thrust upon it.
[All photos by Sunil Soman]
Here’s a look at the final LCD Soundsystem setlist…
Our pal Sunil Soman shot video of a handful of tunes from yesterday’s show. Check out this playlist featuring Drunk Girls, Get Innocuous, Too Much Love, All My Friends, 45:33 (w/ Reggie Watts) and Sound of Silver as well as North American Scum (w/ Arcade Fire)…
READ ON for more of Sunil’s photos from LCD Soundsystem’s swan song and a webcast rip of the entire show that may or may not get taken down…
We’ve been having a bit of fun around HT HQ this week at the expense of Marcus Lambkin, who goes by the pseudonym Shit Robot. The electronic musician and DJ,
Following months of controversy and debates about the state of ticketing, the focus was on the music last night as LCD Soundsystem kicked off their final week of shows. For
If you weren’t able to score a ticket for LCD Soundsystem’s “last show” at Madison Square Garden on April 2, we’ve got some good news for you. The entire show,
There was a time in my life when five concerts in one week wasn’t all that rare. But those days are long gone and now I’ve reached a point where one show a week can be a lot to deal with on a regular basis. But I find myself especially excited about five shows I will be attending in the next five weeks.
This list also serves as proof just how spoiled someone living in NYC really is in terms of music. There really are dozens of choices on any given night and anytime you are looking to hear some great music, you can always find something. Alright, let’s get down to it…
1. Elton John – Madison Square Garden – Wednesday, March 30
Elton John has more hits than most artists have songs and he has been a longtime member on my “bucket list” of artists I need to see before they stop touring. That list also includes David Bowie and Jeff Mangum (see you in October at Town Hall). Elton had his “number” retired at MSG back in 2007 when he performed his 60th show at the venue on his 60th birthday.
Take away the good (Almost Famous) and bad (27 Dresses) Hollywood singalongs, and Elton is still one of the most prolific and productive rockers of all time. Playing his greatest hits and selections off his album with Leon Russell, this show should be well worth the somewhat steep price of admission.
READ ON for the other four show’s Luke will be hitting…
With the announcement coming this past weekend that LCD Soundsystem would be playing their final show on April 2nd at Madison Square Garden, it seemed appropriate that we select one of their tunes for Cover Wars. All My Friends was released as a single for LCD’s 2007 album Sound of Silver. As you’ll see below, that single included two covers of All My Friends.
The Contestants:
Franz Ferdinand is the first of two artists this week who recorded a cover of All My Friends specifically to be released as a B-Side to the single.
[audio:https://glidemag.wpengine.com/hiddentrack/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/franzfriends.mp3]Franz Ferdinand has played it live on a number of occasions:
READ ON for four more covers of All My Friends…
While the Packers take on the Steelers in the Super Bowl, our thoughts at Hidden Track headquarters turn to April 2nd thanks to two big announcements that came down this
Seems like this time of year everyone is making a list of some sort. Worst this and best that. We wanted in on that action. You’ve been waiting, longing even, to hear our opinions, we know, it’s ok. To keep it short: 2010 didn’t suck. Here are Three Grown Men’s favorite moments of 2010:
Jonathan Kosakow’s top musical moments of 2010
3. Joe Purdy – “4th of July”
I stumbled upon Joe Purdy by way of coincidence, luck and lack of other choices. The right place at the right time, he was playing his guitar alone on stage in one of the larger tents at the Mile High Music Festival this past August in front of a large crowd. Nobody else happened to be performing at that moment.
His beard struck me first, long and unkempt, hiding his face just like his dark sunglasses. His talent struck me next: a solemn and reminiscent voice, both lyrically and vocally, I thought of Ryan Adams and Ray LaMontagne; and a simple but catchy way of playing the acoustic guitar with single notes and melodies mixed into chord strums, I thought of Neil Young, among others. I was able to learn through his onstage mumblings that he is somewhat of a loner, and recorded his latest album alone in a shack in Arkansas. I went home tired and dirty later that night and found the album streaming online. 4th of July is simple: a lot of good songs.
2. Keith Richards – Life
For all the years he’s been in the spotlight, Keith Richards has somehow managed to stay somewhat of a mystery to the public. There are hundreds of stories floating around about him and his time on the road, but he has rarely, if ever, confirmed or denied them. Life is exactly that: a confirmation and a denial. Keef tells you everything, from the street he grew up on as a child to whether or not he had a voluntary blood transfusion to rid his cells of heroin. His memories of the Stones’ first gigs and their many recording sessions, his obsessive and detailed knowledge of the music that inspired them, and his reasoning for playing a 5-string guitar. It’s all in there: the music and the life.
READ ON for more of 3GM’s Top Musical Moments of ’10…
Since we’ve spent the entire week recounting our favorite albums of 2010, and quite frankly you’re probably tired of reading about them, seemed like a no-brainer to end the week
For the second consecutive year at Hidden Track, we concocted our innovative little experiment for the year-end Best Albums list. Instead of picking the old fashioned way – subjectively – we opted for something a little different: a collaborative, collective list that incorporates the opinions of everybody here at HT.
To begin, we devised an all-encompassing list of well over 100 nominees, whereby most everything our contributors recommended made the list. Then we invited our crew of writers to independently and blindly vote on the whole list on a scale of 1 to 20 (20 = five stars). We ended up with varying degrees of familiarity with the nominees as some folks voted on just about everything, while some just a few. From there, we deployed our egghead algorithm for rating albums: (two times the average rating) + (the total number of votes). At that point, we took the top 25 highest scores and presto: the Hidden Track 25 Best Albums of 2010. No bullshit, no big opinions; just the results.
We’ve come to the end of our week long countdown, let’s check out our Top Five…
5) LCD Soundsystem – This Is Happening
Sounds Like: Dance Yrself Clean, I Can Change
Key Tracks: Modern spacefunk, Talking Heads with an indie twist
The Skinny: James Murphy and company’s third full-length finds the eccentric front man exploring the benefits and trappings of stardom accompanied by the funky dance-pop we’ve come to know and love. Not at all a departure from the first two records, This Is Happening takes the LCD sound in a slightly more laid-back, introspective direction. Gone are some of the dancehall sounds in favor of a more organic, live band-sounding approach which brings the seemingly more personal material to life beautifully. Murphy’s impassioned vocals are direct and honest, particularly on the monstrously catchy single I Can Change. This record has all of the things we love about LCD – the Talking Heads-esque bounce, Murphy’s staccato delivery, thick, ever shifting soundscapes – but with a maturity and comfort that shows Murphy growing as an artist and a person.
READ ON for the final four albums in our countdown…
