I am a huge fan of Justice’s music, and i kinda regretted missing their (what i thought was) overpriced show when they came to austin last year, but now maybe not so much. Though this may be slightly old news, if you look at these photos (via betaportal) you can clearly see Justice performing with an unplugged midi controller. Now, there are a few things that i am slightly skeptical about this photo, because it both might be an instance when the midi becomes unplugged (which i doubt), but also because it looks like they are performing on a couple of folding tables instead of their normal setup.
Assuming this photo is an accurate depiction of their shows (which i don’t really doubt), there is clearly the primary objection of dishonesty. However, beyond that, there is the question of how electronic concerts should be be performed. I recently saw Yacht and, honestly, i didn’t care for the live show. So while Daft Punk claim to do their business on a custom version of Abelton Live, it looks like that will be the model everyone else has to perfectly emulate. This is definitely not practical, and sitting behind a laptop is never quite entertaining. If only it were as simple as the good old days, when all you needed was an 808, 909, and maybe a 303.
I have always opted for a lights show controlled by the dj’s as a good compromise. Though it seems the causal fan will demand more. It’s just too bad people in our culture like to stare at the people making music and bob their heads, instead of just enjoying the whole event. Though with what Justice was charging last time they were in town, i really can’t blame people for not staring at them the entire time. Dropping that kinda cash you want a show, and that’s what Justice probably gave them… whether or not the audience had what they were actually doing on stage.
Update: looks like it might be much ado about nothing; as i suspected photos can by liars: http://www.side-line.com/news_comments.php?id=37697_0_2_0_C
Last year there were practically none. ,