Air dazzled at the Auditorium Theatre last week in a mesmerizing audiovisual display. The legendary French electronic duo is celebrating the 25th anniversary of their debut album Moon Safari by playing the beloved album in its entirety live for the first time.
Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoit Dunckel along with tour drummer Louis Delorme brought the tour stateside after selling out their recent European tour. Fans packed Chicago’s historic Auditorium Theatre to the rafters, erupting in applause as the soothing opening notes of “La Femme d’Argent” drifted from the stage.
Dressed in all white, Dunckel manned the synths and Godin played guitars at opposite ends of the stage with their drummer in the center. The band performed inside a rectangular white box that looked like the Farnsworth House was lifted from nearby Plano, Illinois, to the Auditorium Theatre stage. Like their music, Air’s stage setting appeared minimal at first before delivering a majestic display.
The box was lined with video screens displaying colors and geometric backgrounds for each song and lit both within and behind. As the box glowed red during “Talisman” with abstract shapes morphing behind the band, it took on the feel of a diorama in a natural history museum. Fireworks flashed on screen behind the band during “You Make It Easy.” When fog filled the stage floor, the box appeared as if it was floating in space like the band’s chilled-out electro-pop. During “Venus,” the box took on the persona of a spaceship as stars and planets whipped by in the background. Recalling ‘60s mod and ‘80s arcades, the visual effects were both nostalgic and futuristic.
Air let their music do most of the talking. After playing fan favorite “Sexy Boy,” they said, “We are so happy to be in Chicago tonight.” While their recorded music is downtempo and minimal, Air’s sound takes on new dimensions when performed live. The sound was larger than life, even rocking with the help of Delorme’s drumming. Between the cinematic visuals and the powerful arrangements, I felt like I was at a psychedelic arena rock show à la Pink Floyd rather than a dreamy French ambient set.
After playing Moon Safari, the band took a bow and briefly left the stage before returning for a second set plucked from their other five albums. Adding to the evening’s cinematic vibe, the set included "Highschool Lover" the Virgin Suicides theme from Air’s score for the film. They returned to thunderous applause for a final encore of “Alone in Kyoto” before closing with “Electronic Performers.” Electronic performers is a reductive description of the band and the sonic and visual journey they treated us to at the Auditorium Theatre. Air took us on a moon safari, and it was the musical highlight of my year.
All photos by Jessica Mlinaric.