Softer, Worse, Slower, Weaker
Daft Punk live, LA 1997. Can’t you just feel the 90s dripping from your screen as you watch this? It just looks so wild and unchained. Someone posted this on a forum this week and one response was simply “acid house!” which pretty much sums it up.
Daft Punk live, Oxegen Festival, Ireland, 2007. Well, it’s close but no cigar isn’t it? A pastiche of themselves even with better lights.
I realise I’ve gone into that “the old days were better” mode that should always be avoided, but I think the videos speak for themselves, even if Oxegen does look fun. Of course I wasn’t actually at the above gig so it’d be interesting to hear some reports from people.
I guess anyone who has seen the original Daft Punk live set or even has a recording of it knows how awesome that was in comparison to today’s show, and that’s before you even start with the monotonous questions of whether it’s actually “live” or not.
Niall wrote:
Don’t get me started on old Daft Punk vs new daft Punk, just listen to Alive 97 vs their current show, much more visceral.
I was at the show in Marley Park and it was very underwhelming.
There’s no convincing people about this though. I tried before on my blog and commenters told me my life was meaningless and fading fast and was full of comments like “every piece of music they touch has been fucking amazing.”
Ah well..
Posted 12 Jul 2007 at 2:15 pm ¶
Ronan wrote:
If they did a version of Discovery that was reworked for the live show that’d be so interesting, but all they’ve ever done live for that album (which I like as much as Homework) is the current Ableton mash up…
A real shame…
Posted 12 Jul 2007 at 2:18 pm ¶
Ger wrote:
I agree with Ronan about Discovery. Very underrated / unfairly derided by many people.
I don’t know about the comparison of the two clips. The first clip is much better produced and the second is ruined by the twat with the air horn.
I wasn’t at Oxegen but I thought the Marley Park gig was amazing. I enjoyed it from start to finish and my only complaint was that it was a little short. I think seeing an act in a sweaty club at the height of their powers is always going to be more special (especially in hindsight) than seeing them in a field alongside 40,000 others when they’re no longer the hottest act around. They still put most live acts to shame even if they seem to be pretty much creatively bankrupt at this stage.
Posted 12 Jul 2007 at 4:27 pm ¶
Eoghan wrote:
Also saw them at Marely, but I was bored by their performance. It really felt like they weren’t connected with the crowd at all, and were just plodding through their set.
Definitely wouldn’t pay to see them again.
Posted 13 Jul 2007 at 8:21 am ¶
willem wrote:
Ableton mashup?
http://musicthing.blogspot.com/2007/07/what-are-daft-punk-actually-playing.html
Also, writing about/comparing liveshows without actually having been to either one is a bit iffy, methinks.
Having been to (into, I’d rather say) the Amsterdam show, I can only try to put into words how that actually *felt*. 90 minutes of pure joy, movement, ecstasy and not to mention a real sense of unity between band and public (the venue holds about 5000 and I was at about 20 metres from the stage, which might’ve helped). The robots totally connected with the crowd - that moment when one of them raised his fist for the first time, coinciding with one hell of a ‘release’ - goosebumps. They were clearly having a lot of fun. There was also something strangely comforting in seeing two helmets subtly going up and down while controlling show and audience through their panels. The visuals were (of course) terrific - overwhelming yet sparse and efficient. The moment during the encore when the led’s on their suits light up while the background goes black is pure genius. And ending with all the lights down, slowly turning your back towards the audience while your logo brightly shines red from your suit is perfect. Two kids having a lot of fun and feeling tough
Well, that’s my impression anyway…
Posted 13 Jul 2007 at 3:22 pm ¶
Ronan wrote:
yes fair enough I wasn’t there, I just meant the music sounds a lot better at the original show!
Posted 13 Jul 2007 at 3:32 pm ¶
jon wrote:
I’ve seen them in both old & new form & can categorically say the new show is pathetic, sure it looks amazing the first time but give me the visceral analogue growl of the early sets against the hi frequency ableton 10 songs at a time piss they’re doing now, i’d rather see a dj play a great set in a pub basement than this shite again.
More painful than the bit in Escape to Victory when Michael Caine breaks the goalies arm so Sylvester Stallone can play in goal.
Posted 13 Jul 2007 at 4:36 pm ¶
willem wrote:
You said a bit more than that, but fair enough.
What’s pathetic about the new show?
Posted 13 Jul 2007 at 6:08 pm ¶
Ronan wrote:
the live versions of the tracks kinda suck in my opinion. and I have heard the set, if not seen it with the full visual show etc
Posted 13 Jul 2007 at 6:09 pm ¶
willem wrote:
Didn’t mean to get all nitpicky about this. I enjoyed it immensely, that’s all. And you asked for a report
It’s not just the music, you know (though I love the mashup they delivered). I know it sounds awful, but it’s an experience. A full, fleshed out show, clearly well-thought through and highly effective. For some.
Now it’s time for a beer outside in the evening sun..
Posted 13 Jul 2007 at 6:46 pm ¶
jd wrote:
“A full, fleshed out show, clearly well-thought through and highly effective.” - this is why I don’t like it.. its too rehearsed. Same reason I don’t like a lot of live bands either with large onstage pyrotechnics. Its all been rehearsed too much and sound sterile. for the record daft punk live in 90’s was waaaay waaay better than they are now. I hated the marlay park gig.
Posted 13 Jul 2007 at 9:11 pm ¶
jon wrote:
I thought i was the only one at the time of the Marley Park show! got severely dissed for saying it too!
The thing i think that makes people so angry is that Daft Punk are capable of batter they just severely lost their way. Even all the ads/coffee tables & various side projects would be tolerable if the music was there to back it up.
Posted 14 Jul 2007 at 2:58 pm ¶
Steve wrote:
I saw their old show twice ten years ago (one at a festival one at a venue) and the latter is my favourite gig ever but I think if I had seen them a year ago or even now I would rate their current show equally as great. It looks and sounds fine to me. I wonder how many others in this position would agree. Or if anyone who had actually seen both would agree.
But then I don’t really care what an act like them are doing ‘live’ or how they’re doing it as long as I like how it sounds (which I do).
Posted 15 Jul 2007 at 1:13 pm ¶
Mr. Somewhere wrote:
90’s daft punk was all about the momentum, new daft punk is all about the spectacle. interesting that their remixes tend to have that old vibe in mind, as those who rmx them are fans of the v.1
Posted 19 Jul 2007 at 5:21 pm ¶
Dionysus wrote:
Well…I can’t truly comment as to how much better their older shows were than now, as I’ve never seen one of their older shows, BUT… their set @ Coachella Fest in 2006 was so mesmerizing that words cannot do it justice.
I and about 25,000 other people felt a true connection with the robots, and ask ANYONE about the quality of that show and they will tell you the same thing… Daft Punk were the true headliners there that year…
only complaint…their set wasn’t long enough…about 80 mins…
Posted 19 Jul 2007 at 10:06 pm ¶
MIke wrote:
The gig at OXEGEN was by far the best festival performance ive ever witnessed in my 8 years going to the yolks. It really was that good. Thats just for me of course. Also, the video displayed is not the oxegen gig, must be one of their other recent gigs…
Posted 21 Jul 2007 at 9:29 am ¶