Daft Punk hits Toronto with Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger Lightshow
The mile-long lineup into Arrow Hall was a mish mash of retired ravers busting out their 90's Snug gear one last time to hipsters sporting the latest graphic Tees a la Justice. Everyone was in a calm demeanor but soon turned into a crowd of hyped smiling bobbing heads as we were feeling the bass pumping through the walls. There was good reason for the hype as Daft Punk was last here on the same grounds back in 1999 headlining a Syrous labour day all-nighter.
I was so excited to hear NYC's The Rapture was opening as their tunes were made to dance. They played a fairly energetic set, but clearly people were waiting to bring on Da Funk.
I could be wrong, but Sebastian & Kavinsky were a no show, but they did blast Testarossa Autodrive and other favorites between acts. Rage's Killing in the Name remix was perfect to get an already dancing crowd to go nuts!
The lights went dim, the curtains swung open and the concert kids started screaming as the robot mask clad duo came up into their pyramid shaped souped up DJ booth. The back lights beamed out as thousands of colour changing LED's and lit up triangular grid structure surrounding the pyramid booth started flashing. This was only the beginning of Daft Punk's extravagant light show. This was luminaTO times a million, an over stimulation for the eyes and ears. With Technologic, the back LED's turned into a giant electronic billboard flashing tech words just like the video, but much, much bigger! With Around the World and Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger, colours from the entire spectrum of light and every single LED array were spinning in crazy patterns.
Just when I thought I saw it all, the entire pyramid lights up, covered in a giant triangle shaped LCD screen and it too is showing off what it can do, showing its full brilliance with Alive as its soundtrack. I won't tell you what happens in the encore part of the show, but suffice to say, it was a surprise ending. If you're really curious just check out this Youtube video in the last 30 seconds. You won't regret it.
As I was riding back home on the Gardiner, I saw the CN Tower lit up with its new red LED lights and it brought a little smile to my face. Now that was a show!
Photos: by Flickr member quadb
Comments (17)
Yeah, but too bad A.D/D dropped the ball on the after-party.
(free before 12- but actually you need tickets- and how convenient- it was soldout!- how much you wanna bet that after 12 some tickets miraculously appeared- for $15 a piece??)
Definitely one of (if not THE) best shows I've ever been to.
I felt like I was eating a slice of robot/human pie from the future.
Daft Punk simply blew us away.
The Ed Banger after-party was insanely fun. I haven't seen a DJ booth/stage so off the hook with partiers pumping up the crowd, 40oz'rs of booze and magnums of champagne being passed around, vinyl being tossed around, and people just having a total blast. It was a party and a half!
Yeah, too bad about the small venue for the after-party. Daft Punk doesn't come around often, so you had to be on the ball to be sure to get in. Most of my friends didn't get in. Most of the after-party was guestlist, and only a few tickets were sold in advance. Basically, if you wanted to be there you either had to either know someone, or be one of the first people to buy one of the few advance tickets.
Ah, damn it! I miss the show in TO cause I'm in Montreal, and I miss the Montreal show because I'll be back in Toronto. Désoler!
Sebastian and Kavinsky were there!! They were in the middle part where the light and sound boards were. Thats what the set up lights there where set up for. There was a huge crowd surrounding them they whole time there were playing, I can't believe you missed them. But from the look of the crowd, most people up around the front part of the stage weren't aware either.
Busy P was there with them as well.
What an amazing night!
posted some photos of the afterparty on my blog!
crazy times!
WKD night. We gave up on the idea of the afterparty because we came to the conclusion that nothing could even remotely compare to the energy of the concert, therefore all subsequent parties were automatically disqualified.
Sebastian & Kavinsky were there, they played a great set, though I understand why you might have thought they were a no show... they were djing from the center of the hall, and the lights were on the whole time.
Just looking at the photos brings back really good memories! :)
It totally SOUNDED like Sebastian & Kavinsky DJing in between sets!
And yeah - balls on the after party. Some friends showed up at 10:30 and already the bouncer was saying "No one gets in without a ticket". Whereas the tickets that were pre-sold were only a portion of the total capacity for the night. Bulljive!
Uhh... Sebastian and Kavinsky were the guys playing in the Island thing in the middle of the venue.
Forshame.
I can see how anyone who arrived during The Rapture's set might not know that S&K were there because during their second set (between Rapture and DP) I had no idea where they were or if it was even them performing. Where were they during the pre-DP set?
yeah yeah I didn't see Sebastian & Kavinsky cuz I was squeeshed way in a corner with no line of site to the middle, but I sure was dancing pretty hard with all the others around me. Anyways... regardless I had a wicked time... good times good times
I love those too so much...only other dudes I say love is my son and my dad,
but I do... I love Daft Punk to death... like, I love them so much I whoop somebody's ass for talking trash about them, seriously, I would.
I hope to God that after the Human after all Tour is over, that a DVD box set is released of the entire tour from city to city...with particular interest to Lolla, as the "Chire" (a.k.a. Chicago) is my home. Contrary to popular belief, they do not play the exact same way in every city.... the performance given at Cochella isn't the same as the one they did at Lollapalooza... to me Lolla is better and not just cause it was in Chiccago...especially the end, they did do that at Cochella....
But the show in Dublin was better than Cochella and almost Lollapalooza...
/_\
"DAFT PUNK"
Tickets for the after party were available almost right up to the day of. Theres really no excuse for missing it.
AD/D didn't drop shit, i knew a week and a half before the show that it wasn't free. Come on now.
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