Author: Riley Kimball
Last Wednesday Ratatat took the stage in the Music Box at the Fonda Theater. With a screen backdrop that played clips from anything and everything, the two-man band (supported by a third, playing keyboard and handling some of the synthesizers) put on a show that was both aurally and visually stunning.
It was at once no-frills and extravagant, simple and elaborate. The performers were there for the love of music, and they clearly enjoyed every second of playing.
The concert opened on a strange note. The first opener, E*Rock, was a single man, clad in sunglasses and a sheet around his face as a disguise. He mixed music for a half hour, utilizing everything from his computer, to a synthesizer, to even a Wii controller to manipulate the sound. The display behind him was an ongoing montage of colors, endless and fluid, so varied and intense that it nearly hurt the eyes. His music was not spectacular, but it functioned well as a dance mix.
Following E*Rock was the abysmal Panther. Panther featured a skilled drummer painfully mismatched with a singer lacking any sense of musicality. His raucous melodies and occasional dissonant guitar riffs garnered him heckling from the outset, and, thankfully, they left the stage after only twenty minutes of playing.
Ratatat began in a literal puff of smoke, which punctuated songs occasionally. These added to the visual effects of the show, but at times, the band was obscured completely, a phenomenon unpopular amongst those who came to watch the musicians.
The music, though, was superb. About half of the songs came from their new album, LP3, but they also played all their greats, from “Wildcat” to “Tropicana” to “Tacobel Canon.” Each climactic harmony was marked by a timely cloud of smoke or a particularly intense clip on the screen, engaging the audience beyond the sound.
After about an hour of playing, Ratatat took a bow. Returning for their encore to chants of “Seventeen Years!” they did not disappoint. As they finished their first encore song, the speakers declared: “I’ve been rapping for about seventeen years,” and the crowd erupted.
With the volume cranked to its loudest point of the concert, Ratatat left on a powerful chord, concluding a night not many will soon forget.
This article has been archived, for more requests please contact us via the support system.
