Why this gig?

MGMT’s album Oracular Spectacular was an album I listened to a lot when it was released in 2008. I didn’t enjoy their second album as much and haven’t listened to their new one at all yet. But I thought they would be fun to see live. I was wrong.

Support

The internet reminds me that the support act were called Guards. I know I saw them, but I can’t remember anything about them at all.

Headline

Have you ever been at a gig that you’re really not enjoying, but you don’t leave because the band haven’t played their best song yet?

MGMT played “Time To Pretend” as their second song.

By the time it finished, I knew I really wasn’t enjoying the gig, but still I stayed there. I really don’t know why. Eventually I left just as they came on for their encore.

What was the problem? Well, if you’ve listened to any of their music, you’ll know that the production on their albums is great. It really brings the songs to life. Live, it turns out, they really struggle to reproduce that sound. It just sounded turgid and uninteresting.

On the way home I listened to Oracular Spectacular again – just to remind myself how good it could sound.

The set list is on Setlist.fm.