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Hey, MGMT, play us some ‘Kids’
“Kids” by MGMT is the song of the past decade, with much more relevance, influence and staying power than OutKast’s “Hey Ya!,” “Crazy” by Gnarls Barkley and Amy Winehouse’s “Rehab.” All laptop rockstar Girltalk has to do to get 30,000 people to lose their minds is punch in the keyboard part of “Kids.” And hop around like a loon.
It was a little strange, then, when as Paul McCartney’s handpicked opening act at Fenway Park last summer, MGMT didn’t play their signature song. You’d think they’d want to throw the 50,000 Beatles fans a little tune they might have heard before, but MGMT (one of those annoying bands with only two official members) has obviously been sick of “Kids” for a long time. They didn’t play it at Coachella in April either. Guess they just don’t want to be defined by the song whose universal appeal is strongly tied to obtuse lyrics that everyone can identify with because we were all kids at some point.
Listen, the Rolling Stones can do a concert and leave out “Sympathy For the Devil” and nobody would notice. But when you’ve had only three hits and you’re doing a 90-minute set, how could you not play the biggest one?
The band’s newest album “Congratulations” sounds intent on making sure “Kids” doesn’t happen again. The follow-up to “Oracular Spectacular” epitomizes the dreaded sophomore stretch like no record since Terrence Trent D’Arby lashed out at “Wishing Well” with “Neither Fish Nor Flesh.” Instead of making a challenging record, MGMT made a difficult one.
But there will be others. This is a young band still exploring the possibilities of sound, when they’re not shopping for wetsuits.
Andrew VanWyngarden, Ben Goldwasser and their salary players have always killed in Austin, whether it’s an appearance at Austin City Limits Music Festival or in back of Urban Outfitters during SXSW, both in 2008.
Sunday nnight’s show sold out in a day. The crowd should be hyped. And they just might get “Kids.” Recent reports have the band playing it as an encore, though “playing it” just seems to be pushing a couple of buttons and crouching around the stage while the crowd takes over the vocals.
It’s going to be so much fun watching the band’s career get to the point that they play “Kids” every night, then repeat it as an encore.
MGMT with Tame Impala
When: Doors at 7 p.m. Sunday
Where: Stubb’s, 801 Red River St.
Cost: $32, technically sold out
Information: stubbsaustin.com
Photo of MGMT performing at the Austin City Limits Festival in 2008 by Jay Janner AMERICAN-STATESMAN
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