Recap LCD Soundsystem at The Rave/Eagles Ballroom

In the studio, James Murphy gets to play the archetypical music nerd, crafting great records from the accumulation of well-conceived details from other great records, whether it’s finding the perfect disco hi-hat sound or dropping just the right Yaz reference. Live, however, Murphy wisely ditches the geeky subtleties and becomes the commanding arena-rock frontman his band, LCD Soundsystem, requires. On Friday, Murphy’s band paid its first and possibly last visit to The Rave/Eagles Ballroom, and delivered what surely will be remembered as one of the most ecstatic local performances of the year.

Walking on stage to the sluggish syncopations of “Dance Yrself Clean,” Murphy looked like he had just woken up after sleeping for 12 hours in his clothes from the night before. But when the song kicked into a chest-slapping electronic stomp around the three-minute mark, Murphy fully morphed into his extroverted, onstage alter ego—a transformation no doubt assisted by the explosion of energy coming from the audience. (Murphy’s kinder, gentler studio side occasionally emerged to ask the audience to move back several inches to protect the battered dancers writhing up against the stage barrier.) As he gripped the microphone just below his lower lip, kind of like a post-punk James Brown (or a record store clerk emulating James Brown), Murphy’s vocal chops were surprisingly supple, switching from the Bryan Ferry-esque croon of this year’s excellent This Is Happening to the talky drawl of LCD’s early records.

After moving through a selection of This Is Happening highlights, LCD Soundsystem kicked things into the stratosphere near the show’s mid-point with “All My Friends,” Murphy’s big standard and a song that takes on “Where The Streets Have No Name”-style proportions in a live setting. Murphy led his band like he was creating an all-night DJ mix, building and drawing out the drama of “All My Friends” by turning the repetition of clanging piano chords and the steadily rising beat into an intensely emotional mantra. But it was all delivered with the raw power of a rock band, particularly on the astounding “Hit” and a punked-up take of “Movement.”

By the encore, Murphy finally found his way to “Losing My Edge,” his opening salvo as LCD Soundsystem, and a sentimental choice for his best song. A classic paean/piss-take to indie snobbery, “Losing My Edge” took on a similarly celebratory tone, uniting the room under one groove while making the ultimate statement of willful insularity. It was an appropriate parting shot for Murphy, who appears poised to return to the quiet life of making records after this run of shows. If this really is LCD Soundsystem’s final tour, Murphy will be leaving the road on the best possible terms.