The historic Ace Theater in downtown Los Angeles could not have been a better host to Stereolab's final date on their coveted reunion tour. The French-English band reunited this year for their first tour in 11 years, without any new music.
While their absence over the years has been sorely missed by their cult-like following, their extensive work, aka ten studio albums, have comforted day one fans during the void, as well as continuing to be discovered by younger fans alike, thanks to the music's untouchable relevance. Not to mention the cited influence by artists across genres, from hip hop to indie rock, proving the power they left behind hasn't slowed down a bit.
So when news of a tour first arrived, fans from all over were eager to get their hands on tickets. First, it was just a few festival appearances around the globe, but soon after an official tour in the UK, Europe and North American was announced. Led by Laetitia Sadier and Tim Gaine, the five piece ensemble spent the year trekking from city to city, performing only the hits and beloved deep cuts to mostly sold out audiences.
Last night was no different, if just a tad bit more special considering it was the end of, arguably, one of this year's most anticipated tours in indie rock. Opening for the band on this last stretch of the tour was Los Angeles rockers Wand, who warmed up the night with songs off of their latest studio album release Laughing Matter to the sold out crowd. It was evident that despite the difference in musical stylings, there was plenty of crossover fans in attendance.
The historic theater boasts of strikingly beautiful Spanish Gothic-style architecture, built in 1927. Being a seated theatre, it was hard not to squirm around in attempt to dance to all their disco avant-pop hits. The setlist boasted of 17 songs and fired the night off with "Anamorphose" before going into two personal favorites - "Ping Pong" and "Infinity Girl."
They filled the night with both deep cuts and hits, like "Double Rocker," "Crest," and "The Extension Trip" among bigger numbers like "Lo Boob Oscillator," "Brakhage," "Miss Modular," "Percolator" and "French Disko," which closed out the main set.
The best part of the set was hands down the beautifully chaotic noise set that tagged onto "Lo Boob," a testament to the group's talent for marrying experimental work with more accessible upbeat grooves and poppy beats - completely innovative to say the least.
They came out to encore four songs - one more than they've been doing. They wrapped up the night, and the tour on "Come and Play in the Milky Night." See the complete setlist below!
We hope this isn't the end for Stereolab - keep up-to-date with the band on their website!
