Matt and Kim
The Observatory
4/30/15
Matt and Kim are fucking crazy.
And that's a good thing. I had long heard about the pair's amazing live shows and was bummed when they were scheduled against Death Cab for Cutie at Bumbershoot 2013. Since then, they haven't toured, so when I heard they were going to play the Observatory, I knew I had to go. After years of anticipation, I stood there with hundreds of other people, and man, I was totally unprepared.
Because Matt and Kim are fucking awesome.
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If you ever have the chance to go to one of their concerts, go, because they're two of the most crowd-loving, wild performers you'll ever see.
They just seem to draw on an unending pool of energy supplied by screaming. Their show starts quickly, with the pair bounding in from the wings, basically skipping from one side of the stage to the other saying hello to their fans. They play on an elevated stage set up on top of the already existing one, and during the show they hop from that to the actual stage to on top of their instruments on top of speakers and even into the crowd.
And it's the crowd that they care about. Every aspect of the performance, from the confetti sticks Matt flings, to Kim's gyrating twerk job, and the hundreds of balloons they throw into the crowd is designed to make the night magical. Only three songs in and people were already crowd surfing. Three more songs and Matt was throwing t-shirts and water bottles off stage. Three more and the audience was blowing up hundreds of un-inflated balloons. At one point of the night, the pair covered everyone in the pit with a portable tent top, and when the crowd got to its most warm, sweaty and euphoric, their crew ripped it off. To end the night, Kim herself dove into the crowd to twerk it for everyone, her two feet supported by dozens of arms.
Even the setlist is meticulously designed for maximum fun. Last night, it was over an hour and a half long, drawing on the couple's entire discography, including multiple hip-hop and R&B covers.
Most importantly, you can tell Matt and Kim are having fun, because they're smiling the entire time. They're standing on their stools and on the drum kit, and they're playful, occasionally slapping each other on the ass.
You can tell they love each other, and they love their fans. At the end of their main set, just before playing Daylight, Matt remarked that when they're performing live, for the people who love their songs, they feel like they're at home, and that's what their show is. Home. Just the best home you'll ever have.
The Crowd:
Hundreds and hundreds of people. Literally everyone having fun.
Random Notebook Dump:
This is the kind of show you fall in love at. If you can, get into the pit. Who knows whose eyes you'll catch in between the confetti, water, and balloons.
See also:
The 50 Best Things About the OC Music Scene
The 50 Worst Things About the OC Music Scene
The 25 Greatest OC Bands of All Time: The Complete List
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