Daft Punk | Arrow Hall, Toronto

This summer's big concerts make it seem as if we're in some kind of strange time warp. The Police, Bjork, Rage Against the Machine, Pearl Jam headlining Lollapalooza, and Wu-Tang Clan are all touring the country, but let's not forget everyone's favorite robots, Daft Punk. Playing only a few select dates this summer across the U.S., it is their first U.S. tour in eight years, save for the few festival appearances last summer as well. The closest they would have come to Rochester was Toronto, so it was a day trip up to the great white north on Sunday.

Arrow Hall isn't in Toronto acutally, but in Mississauga, about 20 minutes out of Toronto. Part of the International Centre, it is a massive complex used for conventions and a handful of concerts. Inside was similar to that of an airplane hanger, massively high ceilings complete with makeshift barriers and bars. I walked in to SebastiAn and Kavinsky already spinning, set up on the floor in the middle of the hall. Rocking what appeared to be CD turntables, the dudes fromEd Banger Records reminded folks what they were there to do; dance. Playing a nice mix from their own music to other Ed Banger artists to other electro-house club-bangers, their work did not go unnoticed, although a few folks may not have realized it was actual live DJs providing it.

Personal favorites The Rapture, took the stage, playing a pretty good blend of their two full-length releases, Echoes and Pieces of the People We Love. However, the band didn't seem too into the show, and looked as if they were just going through the motions. "House of Jealous Lovers" doesn't have the same effect when it's in the middle of the set, and no longer makes the crowds go crazy when it first came out. Their new tracks have grown on me, as I lose myself in "W.A.Y.U.H." and "Get Myself Into It." Solid set from the NYC boys, but they new everyone was there for something bigger.

The anticipation was impalpable, as SebastiAn & Kavinsky kept the crowd pumped with tracks from Justice, The Chemical Brothers, and semi-strangely enough, a Mr. Oizo remix of Rage's "Killing in the Name Of." Then, as the music faded and the lights went down, the crowd went wild as the faint beginnings of "Close Enounters" echoes through the hanger. Slowly the lights come up, and the outline of a large pyramid in the middle of the stage takes shape, and the outline of two men in robot suits becomes clear, and bliss is reached; Daft Punk has taken the stage. The duo of Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo don't just play any of their famous tracks cut for cut, but wonderfully blended each tracks together, creating a remix of sorts that paired "Around the World' up with "Television Rules the Nation" and "One More Time" with the Stardust hit "Music Sounds Better with You." How much the two are actually doing live is questionable, as they are fitted in robot helmets and gloves, but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt.

Props also to who ever is doing the lighting for these shows. The pyramid lcd screens, flourescent tube lattice, backscreen, and the rest of the lights are intricately timed to the music which is really what creates the surrealistic experience.

There's not much else to say, I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.