Empire of the Sun concert review

dys8h

Virgin Mobile Freefest: September 10, 2011
Artist: Empire of the Sun
I had the privilege of attending Virgin Mobile's Annual FreeFest this September. There were several well-known performers, perhaps the biggest headliner being Deadmau5, who closed the festival. Amongst the 20 or so other artists, an Australian electronic duo, named Empire of the Sun (EoS) put on a unique and phenomenal show.
The duo formed in 2008 has realized one album "Walking on a Dream", which shares its name with their biggest single. I have been a fan of the band for a few years, and know the majority of their songs. They have a similar sound to MGMT. Their songs consist of catchy electronic beats, impossible not to move along with. The vocals are high, smoothly transitioning with uplifting choruses that get stuck in your head and urge you to sing along, although the lyrics are sometimes difficult to comprehend.
Empire of the Sun took the West Stage around 8 PM, with a full moon shining overhead. Hundreds of peoples waited with glow sticks waving, girls atop of shoulders, and excitement building as smoke machines inundated the stage. The crowd began a steady clap, which erupted into applause as lights flashed on the stage, showing the duo dressed in flamboyant costumes complete with headdresses. Their opening song, " Standing on the Shore” kicked off their show with enormous energy.

Looking around, it was evident that were a handful of people simply attending the EoS show to wait for Deadmau5, who was taking the stage afterwards. Despite this, there was a great deal of energy displayed by the audience, and the overall ambient was very enjoyable.
As a fan of the band, I thoroughly the show and the songs played. I found myself jumping up and down to the beats, and screaming the lyrics of the songs. I noticed there were people around me who despite not appearing to know the songs, were also moving along to the music and seemed engaged in the show. The lights that accompanied the music, in addition to the costumes worn by the band members, added an additional exciting element to the show. One thing that I believe could have been improved was a consistent high-level energy displayed by Empire of the Sun over the course of the show. Although it is not the type of music that allows the performers to jump around to, more of a stage presence could have been demonstrated. I've witnessed some other concerts where they have been more extravagant with their movements in accordance with their songs. However, the additional on-stage performers mitigated this. They were dressed in alien-like outfits and moved around throughout the duration of the show. Behind the stage there was a huge screen, which changed lights, and scenes with beats or the ambience of the songs. Additionally, there were a colored lights and lasers that captivated the audience during the performance.
The close of Empire of the Sun was phenomenal. There was a few minutes of silence before EoS returned to stage dressed in new flamboyant costumes and performed their most popular song, "Walking on a Dream." As the first beats of the song were played, the crowd roared in enthusiasm and hands went flying up in the air. The audience sang loudly to the chorus as Empire of the Sun walked around stage. It was a great song to close to, and as the song ended, the stage was illuminated in blue lights and once again filled with smoke. The audience roared loudly, showing their appreciation to EoS’s performance.
Overall, EoS did a great job keeping up the energy of the audience, even though it was a later show after an already long, tiring day. Many people were dancing and vibing the entirety of the show. I would definitely recommend attending an EoS show to both new and old fans alike.