10/8/2010: LCD Soundsystem w/ Sleigh Bells - Houston, TX

Typically when ACL comes around, Houston gets a few minor residual bands who do a show on their way through the state.  But this year has been good to us.  On one night I get to see Beach House and Vampire Weekend.  On the next, I see LCD Soundsystem and Sleigh Bells.  While Vampire Weekend was certainly an excellent show to see, this one totally blew it away!

This is Sleigh Bells.  That is a moderately large wall of amps.  My ears are still ringing.

I've been a fan of Sleigh Bells from the moment I first heard "Kids" and seeing them live has been an experience I've been dying to make reality.  They do not disappoint.  Quite the opposite actually; they're freaking amazing!  I had seen a few YouTube videos of their shows, and none of them come close to matching the sheer energy that is on display!  Derek's guitar shredding is enthralling and Alexis has the stage presence of Alice Glass.  She certainly knows how to get the crowd going.  Every song they played was amazing, primarily because they left out "Rachel" (thank heavens!).  I will definitely be seeing them again!

Next up is LCD Soundsystem.  Now, I've been hearing about how awesome LCD shows are for years, but until last night I have never seen one.

Damn.

This could very well be one of, if not the best live show I've ever had the pleasure of attending!  From the moment the band walked on stage, the Verizon Wireless Theatre turned into one giant party.  The band wisely eschewed some of their slower songs and kept the energy turned up with the best songs from all three albums.  This is Happening received most of the love, as expected, but it's also LCD Soundsystem's best album.  So fair trade.

It's blurry because I'm dancing.  No need to stop for a picture, really.

James Murphy.  How do you do it?  How do you take something so repetitive and easy and make it into some of the greatest music of the last decade?  How do you transform that into something that I'll not only pay to see, but pay to see again and again?  There wasn't a damn thing wrong with last night's performance.  And sure it could've been that I was a little tipsy, or that I was in the company of some very nice people; but that show was amazing, and I had the time of my life!  For real.