Air
Seeing a show at The Fox Theater in Oakland is always a treat. The architecture and acoustics are enough to even the most trite band live. This however wasn’t the case the night I saw the French duo, Air. I am always weary about seeing electronic acts live mainly because I enjoy a fair amount of energy on stage. But since I heard nothing about what Air is like live, I was prepared to keep an open mind.
AM
AM
First off, did I mention how much I love two act line-ups? LOVE IT! Particularly if I’ve had a long day at work, two bands are enough to keep me happy without passing out at the final few songs. Luckily the opening act this night happened to be psych-pop artist, AM. It was a nice fit for the line-up and the audience seemed to eat it up nicely. AM has been making his way across the indie rock opening slot position lately with some impressive acts. Tomorrow night he’s opening for Charlotte Gainsbourg at The Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, which ought to gain him a few more followers. And for good reason, AM is a talented songwriter and creates lazy lounge pop for anyone with a Beck or Flaming Lips record in their collection. Just one listen to his recent release, Future Sons & Daughters, you’ll notice the sunshine and positive nature of AM’s lofty music.
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[mp3] AM – Grand Opinion from Future Sons & Daughters (2010)
Air
Seeing Air is not unlike listening to Air in your living room, you feel relaxed at almost a zen-like level. However, the live experience is obviously enhanced. With synchronized lights and a backdrop that displayed various psychedelic images, Air came alive with ease for anyone lucky enough to witness it.
Air
Rest assured anyone with a ticket to see Air this year is in for a treat. With an album that lends itself to big systems the songs on their new album, Love 2 translate extremely well to the live stage and further establish Air as frontrunners in the electronic scene. While the album is no where close to the grandeur of Moon Safari, the songs from Love 2 seem modest and less demanding of attention. It’s immediately recognizable as Air and finds the duo having a bit more fun than usual.
Air
Their set was predominantly filled with tracks from the aforementioned album but each track seems to be given a beefy makeover for the live show like most tracks from Walkie Talkie. Never would I have thought I would see people compelled to dance to such a chilled out band as Air. Dry humping maybe, but most people seemed to be compelled to rock out. It seems that this tour is as much about making people want to move as freezing them to the spot with beautiful down tempo songs.
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[mp3] Air – Once Upon a Time from Pocket Symphony (2007)
Air
But some of the songs of Pocket Symphony came out slightly drier than expected and seemed to connect less with the audience. However, that didn’t matter one bit, because this crowd were already won over. Air returned with an encore which included two songs from 1998’s Moon Safari, something that was much desired during their set.
Air
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[mp3] Air – Cherry Blossom Girl from Talkie Walkie (2004)
SETLIST:
1. Do the Joy
2. So Light Is Her Footfall
3. Love
4. Remember
5. Venus
6. J’ai dormi sous l’eau
7. Missing The Light Of The Day
8. Tropical Disease
9. People In The City
10. Don’t Be Light
11. Alone In Kyoto
12. Cherry Blossom Girl
13. Be a Bee
14. Talisman
15. How Does It Make You Feel?
16. Alpha Beta Gaga
17. Kelly Watch The Stars
Encore:
17. Heaven’s Light
18. Sexy Boy
19. La Femme d’Argent