Daft Punk Invaded Seattle

Sunday's performance at the new WaMu Theater was perhaps the best concert Seattle has seen in some time. Daft Punk, the Parisian electro-duo, took the stage with such great anticipation, I was worried the show might not deliver. You see, like many in the crowd I have been a devout Daft Punk fan for well over a decade and this was their first Northwest show in some seven years. There was no worry needed, as soon as the robot rockers took their place on the giant pyramid, the crowd lit up faster than John Daly on the back nine.
At the core of this amazing show was of course the music. They threw all the hits at the crowd ("Around the World," "One More Time," "Da Funk," "Aerodynamic") without making you feel they are simply trotting out their best-of album. Each hit sounds uniquely mixed and perfectly placed in the set.

The music definitely stands on its own, however the stage set-up alone was visual ecstacy. Like a Vegas night show from space, the stunning laser light show progressively built throughout the set. Using a combination of neon scaffolding, giant strobes, and one bad-ass pyramid super-screen, the jumpsuit-clad DJs flew me to the moon and back. And that was before they unveiled a Quest Field-sized monitor BEHIND all the other amazing screens and lighting trusses.

Any seat in the small theater would have been amazing, though I braved the pit and quickly made my way right to the front of the action. Getting there, I weaved my way through a combination of 20-something pouty indie rockers, nerd-rock dress-up dorks, 30-something pouty indie rockers, and too many scantily-clad eleventeen-year-olds to count (who are these girls' parents?). Drugs were present, though I didn't notice as many dilated pupils as I would have expected. While the event was held in the same building as USC 5/6 and numerous other large raves, that scene has obviously died out or found younger electronic acts to follow. The show was sold out and I imagine there were no more than 7000 people in attendance (just a guess).

Supporting was The Rapture, who have perfected the paradox of looking boring in a high-energy way. Everything about lead singer Luke Jenner is so uninteresting I couldn't stop watching him. How could someone so skinny, so normal captivate me? And why is he asking for "more light on the stage?" I don't know, but I enjoyed it.

Don't miss your next chance to see Daft Punk live. This was my third experience and definitely the best yet. While their set at Coachella was spectacular, the longer set-time allows them more freedom to play with all their on-stage gadgets. By the encore, even their jumpsuits were blazing with neon (think Tron on Ecstacy) and glowing with Daft Punk logos on the back. Thank you gentlemen, Seattle will be awaiting your next landing.