TONIGHT @commodorevcr ✨
7pm Doors
8pm Jeremiah Chiu
9pm M83
*times subject to change
This show is SOLD OUT! https://t.co/hwkZ66XG0y— Timbre Concerts (@TimbreConcerts) May 9, 2023
May 9th–Another day, another concert. This time around, I had the privilege of seeing French electro-pop group M83 at the Commodore Ballroom.
They’ve got one big hit, “Midnight City”, that I’m sure you’ve probably heard at some point. Most likely 10 or so years ago, but, you know. The song was the lead single off of the band’s 2011 album Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming, and was met with international success. Lead vocalist and writer of the tune Anthony Gonzalez reportedly took inspiration from the nightlife of downtown Los Angeles for the lyrics.
Back to the present, the group put out an album this year in March called Fantasy. It’s synthy, kinda ambient, and even has elements of space rock, which led M83 to drift away from the poppier stuff. I gave it a listen, and I can say that I’m a fan! Their second album, Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts, will probably always be my favorite, but Fantasy was decent, if a little bland. The title track and “Amnesia” were good! Check it out if you’re looking for something a bit more chill to put on.
The Commodore and I are well-acquainted at this point. I’ve been to a lot of shows there, and I’d say it’s one of my favorite venues in Vancouver. The atmosphere is great–it’s a big enough space that more established artists can still play shows there, but small enough to still feel intimate. They’re also typically very good about staying true to advertised set times. Its only drawback is being located right on the always-lovely Granville street downtown. It was the perfect venue for M83, in my opinion, because they had some INCREDIBLE lighting and effects.
Keeping with the Commodore’s streak of punctuality, the opener, Jeremiah Chiu, was on right at 8, and finished his set right at 8:30. He played some modular-sounding, beep-boop, electronic stuff–it was pretty neat but nothing really that notable. He was a cool guy, though, he took a selfie with the crowd at the end!
M83 got on at 9 (punctuality WIN), and MAN. They were incredible! They put on an amazing performance–their set felt very cohesive, and the order of songs made sense. Most of the songs were from either Hurry Up or Fantasy, but they did do a shorter version of my favorite song of theirs: “Run Into Flowers”.
I wasn’t expecting this from them, but it was actually a pretty hype show! The crowd was all riled up, and they had us clapping along to several tunes. One of the band members started crowd surfing mid-song, which was crazy but so cool. The French know how to put on a good show.
All in all, M83’s performance blew me away. They sounded amazing, the effects were mesmerizing, and their energy was magnetic. I had a great time and would definitely see them again!