When P-Thugg spoke to the Chromeo fans through his talk box, on Saturday night, it was as if he were bestowing his “funkdafied” enlightenment upon us. And it was at that very moment that I was suddenly hit with this epiphany: “The language of love is a dish best served with autotune.” Tongue in cheek humor aside, the environment at Hollywood Palladium resembled a dance floor where everyone in attendance was rhythmically synchronized to the band’s most recent album release (Head Over Heels). P-Thugg did not bless me with the ability to dance that night. But it’s okay. Because I cannot think of a better way for a bad dancer to experience live funk music, than being surrounded by a bunch of extroverts who are way too busy singing to even notice.
Chromeo performed their headlining show for an hour and a half--without the accompaniment of a backup band. Instead, the Canadian duo each played multiple instruments on stage while often exchanging energetic guitar solo duties. This thrilling set featured electro-funk songs like “Fall Back 2U,” “Juice” and “Bedroom Calling, Pt 2,” as well as a remix to “Green Light” and a remix to “Wait.” But I was more impressed by the notion that Dave 1 seemingly played the entire show without ever breaking a sweat. Everyone else in the venue (including myself) was soaked in their own perspiration. Whereas Chromeo’s lead singer appeared to be majestically unfazed by the humidity. In addition to never taking off his sunglasses or leather jacket, Dave 1’s hair stayed perfectly in place as he ran up and down the stairs of Chromeo’s performance space. His command of the stage highlighted Chromeo’s performance of “Must’ve Been,” a pop-soul composition about how the agony of lover’s remorse can sometimes provide very pleasurable moments. At the conclusion of this song, the loyal fan base began to chant “Chromeo,” over and over again. In the same key as the infamous “Oreo” chant from the “Castle of the Wicked Witch” scene in the Wizard of Oz (film). It was my euphoric moment of togetherness with the Chromeo fanbase. And a very fitting transition, as the show neared its closing. Chromeo ended their performance with a song called “One Track Mind.” A synth-pop track about how a simple crush turned into a lustful fixation on sexual desire.
As someone who has followed Chromeo for several years, I was expecting their live show to have somewhat of a comedic undertone. Because their sense of humor has always had a strong presence in their music videos and album artwork. But I was wrong, because I had never experienced a live Chromeo show before. On this night, they were sincere rock stars…doubling as sex symbols…doubling as the essence of cool.
