UPDATE, Aug. 9, 2011, 10:38 a.m.: Apparently if you actually got a chance to watch the band, unlike our reviewer, you'd see that MGMT's James Richardson told the crowd: “Everybody give me your left shoe right now!” A few seconds later, after a volley of shoes hit the stage, he remarked, “That was probably a bad idea.” Watch the video after the jump.
ORIGINAL POST, Aug. 8, 2011, 10:13 a.m.:
MGMT
August 6, 2011
Nike U.S. Open Of Surfing
You would think that press credentials would get you to places that crazy fans wouldn't normally be able to get to unless they have a V.I.P. wrist band or an event organization pass, right? Well, not in this case. It only took a shoe being thrown at some guy's face, which led him to bleed eventually, for the security guards to kick almost everyone out, including the press. I guess our blue passes were not good enough then!
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Still, from backstage (when we were not trying to
figure out how to get back to the arena or move amongst the sweaty
crowd), we were able to somehow hear what the guys from MGMT were
playing and saying in between some of their songs.
For a second, it felt like we were in a jungle as the band was making
its entrance. We heard drums and Tarzan-like screams that eventually
transitioned into a robotic operator saying MGMT as two helicopters flew
over the crowd.
Apparently, the shoe incident meant nothing to MGMT because they kept
asking the crowd to throw shoes at them, and in just a matter of
seconds, a gazillion shoes bombarded the stage, especially during what
sounded like “Brian Eno” from their 2010 album Congratulations.
The fans went wild as soon as “Kids,” from their 2007 debut Oracular
Spectacular began to play, with Andrew VanWyngarden running across the
stage to say, “We love you, Huntington!”
Shortly after, the duo left the stage, and we were able to see them.
Andrew was wearing red and white pin striped pants that looked like
something Uncle Sam would wear. But on the plus side, his curly hair
looked awesome! Then he went back to the stage with Ben, screamed “rock
and roll!” and started to play “The Handshake,” also from Oracular
Spetacular, which was the last song of the performance.
UPDATE: Check out the video of MGMT getting pelted with shoes.
Critic's Bias: “Kids” is the only song I completely know by MGMT. Other than that, I'm really not a fan.
The Crowd: What seemed like thousands of people tried to sneak into the V.I.P. section. When
they started throwing shoes, among other things, we got kicked out and
had to squeeze out way through what seemed like an ocean of hands and
flying shoes.
Overheard in the Crowd:
“Oh my God! They're playing “Flash Delirium!”
“Kids! Kids! Kids!”
“I love dancing to their music!”
“This is crazy a hell! It's a moment of insanity!”
“I'm so bummed I didn't get to see them closer! I could cry!”
Random notebook dump: Some girl punched a lady cop in the face after
she got kicked out. If she wasn't going to get arrested before, now we
know she did.
