The elctronica/hip-hop/jam music scene is generally over-saturated, over-glorified and under-talented. Last night (Wed. Oct. 28) Pretty Lights proved to be an exception to the last two rules. With a sold out crowd as fuel for energy, the duo led by DJ and producer Derek Vincent Smith seamlessly transitioned from hit to hit, playing most of their album “Filling Up The Skies.” Drummer Corey Eberhard, who adds an organic feel that makes the show feel unique, accompanies Smith at live shows. While Eberhard for the most part simply plays over the beats already laid down by the DJ, he is an essential part of the performance as he leaves room for exploration within a type of music that is often stagnant live and simply a playback of the studio recordings.
Equally important to the artists making the music are the lights that accompany it. The group plays in front of an LED light board that streams images from distorted dancing girls to disco neon squares and lines. Think The Flaming Lips. The synchronization between lights and music is key - like a conductor and an orchestra, they cut at precisely the same time. Pretty Lights is all about tension and release in the music, and the lights have a way of aiding the build up, cool down, and general direction.
Unfortunately, one is subject to the crowd at a concert like this. The scene is an attempted throw back to the 60s Woodstock era, where everyone is encouraged to wear weird things, remove them and become shirtless, and do a lot of drugs (smart venues like the Exit/In provide free water in coolers). Positively, people try to recreate the “everybody-love-everybody” feel, and for the most part it works. However, because the crowd can make or break the show, all it takes is one self-important jackass that thinks he IS the show to ruin it for everyone around him (a mosh pit during the finale remix of “Paper Planes” is simply unacceptable).
Smith and Eberhard were clearly psyched to be playing, announcing that they had never been to Nashville and thanking the crowd for coming out in such a force. Playing at a venue that boasts a wall of fame with talents ranging from The Police to Johnny Cash to the Talking Heads and Red Hot Chili Pepers is no easy feat, but Pretty Lights held their own. In the final song before the encore, the popular “Finally Moving Remix,” the entire crowd chanted back the lyrics in unison, rendering an intangibly good feeling.
Their peers and leaders of the scene, Sound Tribe Sector 9 (STS9), will come to Nashville Saturday night for a sure-to-be-weird Halloween set, but following Pretty Lights will be a tough act.
