Pretty Lights @ Comerica Theatre| Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Damn, summer ended so quickly. It was gone within a blink of an eye. It was nice to be able to fit in one more Pretty Lights show.
I last saw Derek Smith -- the man behind the electro/soul sound of Pretty Lights -- in Houston, where he performed at Free Press Summer Fest. The vibe last night was clearly not that of a festival, but even a regular tour stop from Pretty Lights is one heck of an atmospherical adventure.
See also: Pretty Lights Assemble an Intricate Puzzle See also: Re:Generation Music Project: More Than Just Another Techno Movie
The announcement that AraabMuzik, the scheduled show opener, wouldn't be performing after all was a bit of a bummer, but who could disapprove of a two-hour Pretty Lights set? Yeah, my point exactly. No one would.
SuperVision was playing as I ventured off with my friends to stock up on water and beer for the night. Whatever floats your boat. Then I made my way to the pit. No point in having a seat for me. I knew all I would be doing is dancing with my group of friends and talking to random strangers. [The normal Taylor Moon show experience.]
SuperVision's glitch-hop was impressive -- and loud. I should have remembered my New Times friend suggestion to wear ear plugs, because "Comerica is so loud!"
Well, I forgot them.
The curtains finally rose after about a 15-20 minute break following Super Vision's set. I was ecstatic. The back lighting board read boldly and proudly "Pretty Lights" with a countdown timer. PL came out just as usual, catching everyone's attention with the amount of lights and crazy background set-up. He didn't pick his name for nothing.
The crowd never stopped moving, and Smith seemed happier than ever to keep dropping Phoenix some new music that he had been working on. He even shared with the crowd a song he had made with "his girl," saying that the song was the coolest thing he'd ever done and that he loves it.
Man, did we love it too. That song turned the whole dance floor into a sexy swirling mess of people. Everywhere I looked people just couldn't handle how chill-yet-energetic Pretty Lights music is. And when I say can't handle, I sincerely mean it in the best way. I say it, because I was not even prepared for him to sound so elegant.
Derek even threw down some soft melodic beats along with songs that contained bass so heavy that my ears were instantly ringing, I could feel beat within my chest and my arm-hairs rose. I don't think there's much to add to the way the music made every individual in the crowd feel.
Pretty Lights isn't one to do encores. He tells his fans when he's going to end. Which is good, because I'm not stuck standing waiting for another few minutes or trying to figure out what he'll play next.
The crowd constantly was thanking and showing love for Smith. PL finally yelled out, "I'm feeling the love Phoenix." Hands holding the shape of a heart instantly flew into the air.
PL announced his last song, 'Finally Moving', which was followed by the crowd singing along to 'Na-na-na-na, hey-hey-hey, goodbye."
Critic's Notebook: Personal bias: I have to admit that was an amazing set. Having seen PL both indoors and outdoors was a treat. I can't quite say which I'd prefer more yet. The Crowd: Well, clearly ASU is back in session. Students along with other PL lovers. Overheard: "Yo, dude I've seen Pretty Lights eight times." [Wow, the YouTube hit, Shit Ragers Say shot into my mind.] Random Notebook Dump: Apparently what tutu you wear helps decide which frat bro you will end up dancing with. Never would have thunk it.