Kevin Bronson on April 18th, 2010

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Who: MGMT at the Outdoor Theatre.
In 3 or Fewer Words: Zzzz”¦ Zzzz”¦. Zzzzz”¦
I’ll Forget This Set by Morning Because: In fact, it was one of the least memorable Coachella sets that this writer has ever seen. Despite having one of the largest crowds of the day (second only to headliners Muse), and certainly one of the most fervent, Brooklyn’s MGMT turned in a set that felt lucky to simply generate the adjectives perfunctory, obligatory and, quite simply, boring. Bereft of any kind of energy or inherent drama, the band seemed content to spin their neo-psych synth-pop lazily into the crowd because, well, why not? It felt as if the band was allowing the ecstatic audience to do all the heavy lifting, and all MGMT – who seemingly didn’t even have the energy to bomb – had to do was show up. Which is exactly what they did. You could give them points for occasional willfulness, I suppose, in that they focused mostly on tunes from their new record, “Congratulations,” and denying their fans the inevitable “Kids” singalong by refusing to play their most popular song. Even still, this was a major act, playing on Coachella’s second largest stage just prior to the Saturday headliner. Something a little stronger than a full-stage dress rehearsal of a real show would have been more appropriate.
To My Friends Who Didn’t Have to Leave Faith No More’s Set to Review MGMT: Thank your very lucky stars. And I hate you.
– Travis Woods (Web In Front). Photo: Scott Dudelson.