This is how we do hits

Hot Chip put on a very good opening show the other night. Of course I saw them at Lollapalooza (right before Lady Gaga), and I loved their set. Here, I saw them more up close, and enjoyed their show very much. They are really just a bunch of nerds, but they can play some sweet dance pop.

But as much as I like Hot Chip, that's not why we were there . . .

James Murphy is awesome. He's indie slob chic, he's a brilliant songwriter, and a great performer. After seeing LCD Soundsystem at Pitchfork this past summer and having my head blown off by the show, I knew I had to go see the concert at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago this week.

And what a fantastic, loud, sweaty show this was. The light show was a barrage of strobes; the sound system was a wall of beat. The performances were spot on, loud, and of course at times very moving ("All My Friends," "Someone Great," "Home.")

The crowd danced nonstop, and on an unseasonably warm late October night, all this dancing made for a very hot and sweaty experience. But though the venue was crowded (sold out in fact) and very hot, I did not care. I was uncomfortable but basking in the power of this night.

The outrageous setlist:

Dance Yrself Clean 


Drunk Girls 


Get Innocuous 


Daft Punk Is Playing At My House 


I Can Change 


All My Friends 


You Wanted a Hit 


Tribulations 


Movement 


Yeah 


Encore:

Someone Great 


Losing My Edge 


Home