I've seen LC twice before. Once at Lollapalooza a few years ago (that's where my initial interest was peaked). Then last April I went to their show in Madison. It was awesome in Madison, and they even played the encore in the crowd! It was great.
So my expectations for the show actually weren't that high. I wasn't really sure what to expect or what it would be like going to a show in Europe. After going, even if I had had high expectations, they would have been blown away. The show was amazing. The crowd, the venue, the music, the atmosphere = unreal.
The show started with typical openers. No one in the crowd really knew who they were, and the low interest in them were evident. The only highlight was the second opener. The band consisted of a man and a woman. They set up a white screen for a slideshow. They started playing it, and the slideshow was full of old photos from the 1970's/1980's. Or at least I hope that's when they were from because the picture quality, setting and clothing in every picture screamed retro. I thought it was a joke when it started, but then it cycled back to the start of the same pics... It was odd. Also, the woman was wearing overalls. Once they came out to start, a drunkard in the crowd hollered, "STRIP THE BIB!" It was hilarious. The girl was completely shocked, and her male counterpart looked at her with a "is really going to do it" look.
Okay so after the two openers, the crowd was kind of dead. There were limited signs of life or interest in the entire building. The only noteworthy thing about the crowd was this pack of wasted teenagers. (I know, this makes me sound like 40-plus, but oh well). Their ring-leader started talking about the ideals of Socialism and down with the Queen! He chanted, "The only solution is a revolution!" It was funny, the first few times. It quickly turned obnoxious after about chant number 11. About 15 minutes before LC came on, I thought to myself, "this crowd sucks." I couldn't have been more wrong.
The instant LC came on stage, there was a sudden swarming of people to the front. This is pretty typical, but then everyone in the crowd just chanted Los Campesinos! over and over again. Without words, LC started playing, and the crowd started humming the beat. After going to 50-plus concerts in my life, I have NEVER heard the crowd humming the beat. Everyone in the building knew every word and beat to every single one of their songs. The atmosphere was unmatched during their set. The only lull came when LC played two new songs, to which the crowd was silent. I thought this was significant because it showed people didn't try to follow the beat or repeat the chorus to an unfamiliar song. One person in the crowd even shouted, "Get on with it already!" This inspired a few other crowd members to tell him to shut up. Then he asked if they actually enjoyed hearing their new songs they had never heard. It was a really entertaining exchange.
The crowd was a typical sweat-inducing mob of people. However, in this venue, there were blasts of A/C being blown onto the crowd. It also seemed like they really cranked it up during slower songs, so that people cool down. It was a nice touch and much appreciated.
All in all, the show was probably my most favorite part of London. The experience was similar to something I could do at home with just a few minor enhancements. It made me realize going to concerts like that were definitely shared experiences. Whether it's London, Chicago, Madison or wherever, it's a similar feel and experience. I really enjoyed that thought and made me feel a lot more connected to my fellow British concert-goers. So glad I went.
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