Daft Punk : Alive 2007
Treble recently put on a lil’ contest for a free Daft Punk poster, the process of which included putting the call out for the fans to describe their favorite Daft Punk song/experience/etc. Essentially, we just wanted to see what people could come up with, and ended up with quite a few amazing stories. After much deliberation, the winning entry ultimately went to a fella who not only first met his girlfriend during the Daft Punk set at Coachella 2006, but then asked her to be his wife at the duo’s set at Lollapalooza 2007.
Hiro Yamazaki’s story goes as follows: he managed to arrange ahead of time the opportunity for himself and his girlfriend to meet Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter, the two guys that make up the French electronic duo, backstage after their performance (“memorable from the beginning of `Robot Rock’ to the incredible encore set”). Because, as he said, “I couldn’t thank them enough for their great music/happiness that they brought to my life – my girlfriend always wanted to meet them and who they really were behind the mask.” They went backstage, and after Hiro took the moment upon meeting the guys to propose to his girlfriend, she responded by practically knocking him over, right onto Bangalter: “Both of the guys were clapping and wished us a happy night. We hugged both of the guys and said goodbye. August 3rd of this year was definitely my favorite Daft Punk concert moment but more importantly, the best day of my life.”
Hiro’s story represents the incredible energy that is oft-associated with any/all Daft Punk shows – because as the music manages to stand on its own, it’s in the duo’s legendary live show where the act goes from your above average radio single to an absolutely life-changing musical experience. The notoriety of their live shows comes from the 11 tons of equipment that transform into pure bliss for both the ears and the eyes, leaving attendees sweaty and without words in which to describe the experience. Daft Punk’s Alive 2007, recorded at a show in the duo’s homeland in June 2007, lacks the tiny metal heads and the thrilling light show that would be found on a DVD, but trust me when I say that the perfect sound quality and the sprawling, imaginative set captured on this CD more than makes up for it.
The tracks, culled together and arranged like the remixed greatest hits collection that never was, take a turn for the outstanding as they throb, scratch, haunt, thrill, creep, pulse, and put ants in your pants like you’ve never felt before. Alive serves as auditory documentation of a truly great comeback within pop culture history, an album of proof that Daft Punk have not lost what made them famous in the first place, nor have they forgotten how to please a decade’s worth of fans. Listening to this album in your apartment or through headphones at the gym simply doesn’t do it justice. In fact, if Alive 2007 doesn’t make you want to barge into your local dance club, sucker-punch the DJ out of his/her spot and start spinning the gold of live Daft Punk, then I don’t know what will.
Similar Albums:
DJ Shadow – Live! In Tune and On Time
Os Mutantes – Mutantes Live
Morrissey – Live at Earls Court
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