Air09.25.24
Vancouver, BC
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the release of French band Air's debut record, Moon Safari. Also meaning it's the 25th anniversary of my birth year, fancy that! And they toured to commemorate the occasion (the occasion being the release of Moon Safari I reckon, not my birth year). This was actually the first stop on the North American leg of the tour, at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre here in Vancouver. Also my first time attending an event of any kind at this venue. It's a seated venue, as I believe it's typically used for theatre (and actually a lot of the premier screenings during VIFF). Very similar to the Orpheum Theatre in layout, just without the ornate interior that the Orpheum bolsters.
I'm not a fan of the word "chill", but that would be an apt way to describe the set. I mean, you can literally classify their music under the genre chill-out, so I'll allow it. They brought along a very futuristic set design; it felt like something out of a science fiction movie. And for the set, as you would expect, they played through Moon Safari in its entirety, before playing a set of their hits. If you aren't familiar with their work beyond Moon Safari, check out Sofia Coppola's 1999 film The Virgin Suicides, which they scored. It was a treat to hear them play "Highschool Lover" off of that score, even if they didn't play "Playground Love". Fun fact, Gordon Tracks is credited as a featured artist on "Playground Love", which is a pseudonym of Thomas Mars, frontman of another beloved French band, Phoenix. And Thomas Mars would later on marry Sofia Coppola in 2011! Also great to hear some of the standouts from Talkie Walkie, especially "Cherry Blossom Girl".
