Hot Chip - Terminal 5 04.12.08

The bad part about having a broken LCD screen is that I am no longer able to take centered pictures.

Last night, I finally experienced Hot Chip. To be honest, I was really skeptical about the hype surrounding their live shows. Even after I blogged about Made in the Dark, I didn't jump on buying tickets for the show. Yes, I would put the tickets into my cart on Ticketmaster (aka Satan), but I never convinced myself to hit the buy button. One day, I was checking the Terminal 5 website, and I saw that the Hot Chip show was SOLD OUT. Now that the show was sold out, I suddenly had the urge to go. Luckily, I picked up some reasonably-priced tickets on Facebook and on eBay.

The Hot Chip show was my first concert at Terminal 5, the largest venue of The Bowery Presents with a capacity of 3000. Knowing that the show was sold out AND it was open to all ages, I arrived about 30 minutes before doors opened. There were already people waiting in line, but coming a little bit earlier paid off; my friends and I acquired prime spots in the very front, near Al Doyle and Owen Clarke (who, btw, has the most amazing dance moves).

During the entire Hot Chip show, I kept on thinking that I was at a club in the Meatpacking District. I'm not sure if this is typical of Hot Chip or Terminal 5, but there were a ton of flashing lights, including a heavy usage of strobe lights. The lights were pretty appropriate for the music and weren't THAT cheesy. Hot Chip played all of their most danceable songs, and the crowd went insane. Literally. I have never experienced a more aggressive crowd. Even the band looked a little concerned when people were shoving each other, elbows flying everywhere. My friend told me that at one point, there was a guy who had another guy in a headlock. Right up against the gate, I had problems of my own. A girl actually thought she could squeeze into 3 inches of space in between this guy and me. Both the guy and I had arrived early, stood in line, and sat around for an hour before the opening act; we were NOT MOVING. After enduring some delicate fighting moves and words, the girl finally moved. You can check out a picture of my bruised arm below.


No, I wasn't beaten up. I just went to a Hot Chip concert. I count about 10 bruises.


Even though I look like I was beaten up at the Hot Chip show, I had a lot of fun. In my opinion, the show wasn't mind-blowing, but it was definitely entertaining and I was glad that I went. My thoughts may have been different if I had seen Hot Chip at a smaller, more intimate venue. Terminal 5 is definitely not my favorite venue. This place has been open since last fall, and they STILL had technical difficulties at Hot Chip. Has there been a single show at Terminal 5 without technical issues? Most reviews of Terminal 5 concerts seem to share this common complaint. Nonetheless, I haven't had this much dancing fun at a show since Girl Talk, !!! (Chk Chk Chk), or Of Montreal. Hot Chip had a lot of energy, and it was hard not to move your body. Also, Hot Chip played some of their mellower songs, which added a nice balance to the set. More importantly, it gave me some time to rest and cool down. Towards the end, I felt like the show started to drag, especially with a long, 4-song encore. I'd have to say that Owen Clarke (guitar, synthesizer) is my absolute favorite member of the band. This guy can seriously move. And, it seems like his legs move independently from the rest of his body. Yes, Owen has that body-isolation dance thing down.

Hot Chip is currently on tour in North America. Made in the Dark is in stores, and their new single is "One Pure Thought."

Setlist
Shake a Fist
Boy from School
Hold On
Bendable Poseable
Touch Too Much
Over & Over
Out at the Pictures
Wrestlers
(Crap Kraft Dinner)
One Pure Thought
Ready for the Floor
Made in the Dark
Don't Dance
No Fit State
Privacy of Our Love


These songs may be taken down soon...

Ready for the Floor - Hot Chip


One Pure Thought - Hot Chip