A disco ball dropped down from the ceiling and the light show went into full force as Chromeo’s 9:30 Club set began on Sept. 29.
The set-up conjured an image of time-traveling to an early ‘80s NYC nightclub. The band, touring to promote its latest album “White Women,” performed back-to-back sold out shows at 9:30 Club on Sept. 29 and 30.
Touring with Chromeo as the opener was beat maker Wave Racer, who catered to the crowd that just started to form at the venue. The production on his songs was impressive, but that can only be expected from an electronic musician on tour with Chromeo. His roughly 30-minute set was certainly an appropriate backdrop for the hundreds of fans who streamed into 9:30 Club, amped for the headliners to come onstage.
Ushered onto the stage by the organic “Chro-ME-o, OH OH!” chant from the audience, the two members of the band started their show off with a bang. The two had an elaborate light show accompaniment to their set – one so intense that it could have easily induced a seizure for anyone at risk. They opened with “Night By Night,” one of their most upbeat, funky tunes from their 2010 album “Business Casual.”
One of the most refreshing aspects of Chromeo’s live show is that they seamlessly incorporate songs from all three of its studio albums into their set. While some groups tend to focus on solely playing new material, Dave 1 and P-Thugg had no problem alternating between their oldest and newest albums for a span of four songs, including fan favorites “Come Alive” (the studio version features Toro y Moi) followed by “Bonafied Lovin’,” one of the group’s most popular songs.
The duo was also incredibly engaging with the audience. Dave 1 truly puts on a show for his audience, jamming on his light-up guitar and even pausing to take a selfie or two with front row audience members’ phones. P-Thugg didn’t disappoint either, as he occasionally stepped away from the duo’s signature keyboards and plucked the bass. Dave 1 encouraged the audience to belt out the chorus to “Frequent Flyer” and cleverly asked females to climb on a friend’s shoulders during the song “Over Your Shoulder.” The level of interaction with the crowd took the show from a fantastic dance party to a truly outstanding performance.
Chromeo closed the show with its largest mainstream hit, “Jealous (I Ain’t With It).” The crowd went wild, but the passion seemed to disappear from the band’s performance during the song. Perhaps it was end-of-set fatigue, but it did not last long. The two came out for an encore performance of three songs, which included some slower jams like “Old 45’s” off of “White Women.”
Nevertheless, Dave 1 didn’t hesitate to thank the crowd several times for the exuberant response. This was the group’s fifth time playing in D.C. It is probably safe to say that they’ll be back in town to boogie again.
