M83 With The Los Angeles Philharmonic @ Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles 3/7/09
Andrew Youssef
One-off concerts pairing indie acts with orchestras are still all the rage. We recently caught Beirut and Clogs/Bell Orchestre & Friends and Grizzly Bear in our neck of the woods, and on Saturday sent Andrew Youssef to shoot M83's night with the LA Philharmonic at Walt Disney Concert Hall.
Speaking to NME before the sold-out event, Anthony Gonzalez promised, "We'll play tracks that are more like orchestral material -- mostly songs from my previous albums because I don't think it's really interesting to play pop songs with the orchestra." The night started with Anthony solo, doing 30 minutes of ambient synth washes "using a custom analog synthesizer made of Livewire modules" according to our photog. Conducted by Julian Kuerti, the Philharmonic then performed Pärt's "Fratres" and Debussy's "La Mer," two pieces selected by M83. And for the collaborative section: "Moonchild," "Highest Journey," (Bloc Party's) "The Pioneers (M83 Remix)," "Lower Your Eyelids To Die With The Sun" and "In The Cold I'm Standing." Hopefully concertgoers expecting cuts from the John Hughes-inspired '80s homage Saturdays = Youth weren't too disappointed. Though that seems unlikely, because that album is terrific. In any case, here's what they saw.
Posted at 2:54 PM by Scott in Photo
Tags: M83
Whew...am I glad I didn't get sucked into this one. And Saturdays=Youth is soooo overdone anyways
Score = -11
Is this the photog that beeped everytime they took a picture throughout the whole show? Next time turn that off or don't take pictures.
Score = 0
In reply to 1234, I've been to many shows with this photog and his camera doesn't beep... so it wasn't this photog that ruined the show for ya. :)
Score = 2
It was a nice show - the music from M83 and the LA Symphony blended nicely together. Both got standing ovations, independently, and together.
Score = 0
Is there any recording of this show floating around? One shot looks like the photographer was next to the soundboard. Maybe he got a recording?
Score = -1
i hate you people and your negative comment points.
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In the cold I'm standing? Lower your eyelids? Excellent picks!
Exactly the kind of songs I had imagined they'd play. You guys don't have a full setlist? Anyone got an idea if this show may had been taped for a cd or something?
Score = -1
NME posted the setlist as well as a video for "...Eyelids" http://www.nme.com/blog/index.php?blog=61&p=5910
Score = 0
Thanks for the link!
Apparently everyone on the last.fm event page said it didn't lived up to the expectations.
After watching the video I have to say it doesn't sound as epic as I would have imagined either, then again it's a bootleg and I wasn't there. Doesn't sound bad either.
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lucky duck!
Score = -1
fuck all'a'y'all hating.
this would have sounded so delicious
and it's overdone on purpose.....sigh.
Score = -1
it's not a question of hating. hell, i saw M83 three times last year. it's just that his shows got less spectacular and more formulaic with each performance. now Sire (read Warner Records) pushed him into this bland mixture of orchestral and ambient crapfest in order to make more money for their failing music industry. sure, he released his collection of ambient soundscapes before releasing Saturdays=Youth but he never went on tour for that disc.
Score = 0
M83 has nothing to do with Sire or Warner Brothers. The record he made was totally his own, no one pushed him to go anywhere. And their shows this year have been absolutely amazing
Score = 1
They've played 4 shows in New York since the release of S=Y, less than one year, and played pretty much the same setlist in all of them! That may have something to do with it.
I don't get that, he has a pretty strong discography in my opinion.
Score = 0
Ugh. Stop saying photog.
Anyway, is there audio of Lower Your Eyelids? I'd love to hear that
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sitting behind the orchestra gave me some insight as to how CRAAAAAZY conductor's facial expressions are. but yea, amazing night.
Score = -1
I was there. Mediocre show in every way. Disappointing.
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Beautiful photos. Thank you.
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This video is pretty good - clips of Moonchild, (Bloc Party's) The Pioneers, and Lower Your Eyelids: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJnDhxaGy8E
Score = 0
I was there. A sublime show, though not one I recommend when tired. The music is so mellow and the seats too comfy, I kept battling the urge to doze off...
One funny note: among the hipsters were a crowd (perhaps a quarter of the audience) of what I assume to be season ticket holders, older folks who had no idea who M83 were. After Anthony played his initial electronic set, and the LA Phil came on stage, one such older gentleman yelled at the top of his lungs, "At last! Now some real music!"
Score = 2
He rehearsed the opening session at KCRW http://www.kcrw.com/music/programs/mb/mb090306m83
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