Porter Robinson - Live 07/03/25
The concert cherry for 2025 was popped a few days ago when we went to see Porter Robinson live on his Smile! :D tour. First time seeing him live - and first time I've been interested in seeing him live if we're honest, as this is his first tour with a full band. Call me a purist or a rockist or a bore, but I find it an uninteresting live experience when a musician simply sings to a backing track for the length of a full concert, part of the joy of seeing live performances is in watching the musicians and hearing the arrangements come to life live.
Which is why I largely checked out of the support act Underscores a few minutes into the first song when it became apparent that she was content in just singing along to pre-recorded tracks when hiding in the stage lights and shadows, content to let the big video screen take over visually. The music was fine - very 2025 hyperpop/genre-blending alt pop - but I felt like I was watching a Youtube lyric video playlist for 30 minutes.
P-Robbo was excellent though. The electronic arrangements of many of the original songs were wonderfully adapted to a live band, often with tweaks to tempos, dynamics and specific sections which kept you on your toes waiting for the next surprise to come. This was particularly apparent during the Worlds songs, given that whole album is very mid-2010s EDM and as such, faced the biggest transformation when coming live - a change that was pulled off fantastically. Robinson has also come a long, long way as a performer, no longer hiding himself in a bundle of nerves and behind a laptop deck, fully embracing and accepting the fact that he's a veritable frontman people are coming to watch - he really looked like he was having the time of his life.
The one thing that I've continued to think about after the gig is in relation to how it was structured. The setlist was split in thirds, grouped per album: the night opened with a run through most of Smile! :D, followed by a sequence of Nurture songs and finishing with highlights from Worlds (though sadly no "Years of War"), like a miniature Eras tour if you will. Each section was split by a brief interlude and the lighting and backdrop adjusted from album to album, from the hypervivid internet dressings of Smile! :D to the natural light and imagery of Nurture and finally to the synthetic abstract scenery that surrounds Worlds, complete with a switch-up in the stage lay-out as Robinson moved from front and centre to the side, surrounded by stylised sample pads. It really underlined how distinct each era has been in its sound, themes and visual design and it really positively struck me, giving each of these segments a sense of travelling back to the past with the knowledge of the present. I always love it when artists have a distinct aesthetic on specific albums in one way or another, and laying them out in a row like this really makes you appreciate those design choices, making the discography feel like a true journey. It's not how I'd want every single concert I go to play out, but I think it made this outing a little special. Add this to the list of ideas for my imaginary alternate universe self with a full-fledged musical career to fulfill.
It was an excellent gig and a great start to this year's live outings. Not many lined up yet beyond Manics in May, but there's bound to be others cropping up.
P.S. it was amusing to bump into groups of other furs in abundance attending this gig, fully living up to the stereotype of furs listening to Robinson. Loved it, though.