The show itself was a spectacular display because of Ratatat’s always awesome stage production. The two main guys – Evan Mast and Mike Stroud – used to play with a third member, but they seemed to replace him with even more strobe lights, which made the concert quite literally electrifying. This was a good choice, however, because the light show was perfect: the strobe lights burst out, declaring the peaks of each song, while not distracting from the projection of videos behind the duo. (The projection works well with the group because of Stroud’s tendency to walk in front of it, leaning back or headbanging or whatever he decides to do, casting a massive shadow that mimics his movements.)
And seeing Ratatat live is spicy, like the hot sauce on the rim of your Tecate (which they were drinking onstage). Because they dropped the third stage member, Ratatat had to rely on lots of pre-recorded stuff. But the things they do live make up for it, like fast-paced drum solos lit up by a flood of red or blue light. The beats are bass heavy, with glittery synth chimes and spicy guitar riffs. Once the bass kicked in, as with any good dance music, the crowd started grooving. When the synth flickered in, the dancing intensified. But all of that is just set up. The bass and the synth combine in anticipation of something more intense and somehow abstract, and that’s Stroud’s guitar. It cuts the repetitive nature of each song with its irregularity, making it the real hot sauce to the equation. And playing classics (har har) like “Wildcat” and “Seventeen Years” interspersed with newer tracks like “Flynn” and “Shempi” ensured a pleased audience.
All photos by me
See my original article on the Washington Square News blog.
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