The Good
The lineup and stage: The music brought all 17,000 attendees together over the course of the weekend and two Downtown stages combined to create one mega-altar for dance. Acts kept a tight schedule for the most part, with one concluding just as the other prepared to take the secondary stage. This kept the show rolling, giving partiers a reason to stay put—even if it meant forgoing a bathroom break.
Jungle: The London-based trio weren’t exactly thrilled about the desert heat (“This is f**ked up,” vocalist Tom McFarland said), but they carried on like pros, conducting their own festival-size discotheque. Backed by a full touring band of percussionists, keyboardists and guitarists, Jungle took up every inch of the stage, in both sound and proximity, as it executed “Casio,” “Back On 74” and “All of the Time” with unflappable finesse, a disco-funk act on the verge being, dare we say, perfect. Lydia Kitto, the newest queen of the Jungle, also beguiled the masses with her vintage falsetto, especially on new single “Let’s Go Back.” The world’s largest dance party then ensued, as thousands surrendered to the groove, writhing and rollicking to “Keep Moving” like their lives depended on it. For those still stumped on how to make a good disco show, take a page from Jungle’s book. –Amber Sampson
LCD Soundsystem: “We haven’t been here in a while. Sorry about that,” said LCD Soundsystem’s artfully disheveled frontman James Murphy, offhandedly apologizing for the band’s decade-plus gap between visits to Las Vegas. Shortly after that, he added, “It’s hot here. It’s very hot. I don’t know why you guys picked this place.”
That was about it for stage banter, save for an offhand comment later in the set apologizing for the lack of stage banter (“We’re not that interesting”). Instead, LCD adopted a less-talk, more-rock approach, delivering an airtight 12-song set of vintage LCD hits that, contrary to Murphy’s discomfort, burned the place down. Opening with “Get Innocuous!” and careening into “I Can Change” and “You Wanted a Hit,” Murphy really didn’t have to explain anything; the band’s crashing, hypnotic beats said everything.
Picking favorites was impossible. LCD 2024—Murphy on vocals and percussion, Al Doyle and Matt Thornley on guitars, Tyler Pope on bass, Korey Richey and Nancy Whang on synths and Pat Mahoney on drums, though everyone seems to play a bit of everything—is an unfailingly precise alt.disco delivery device, approaching every song as if they’d only come up with it a few days before and had just now perfected it. If you didn’t know that “Tribulations,” “Someone Great,” “Losing My Edge,” “Dance Yrself Clean” and “New York, I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down” hailed from the Obama era, nothing in the band’s fiery and relentless delivery would have let on.
LCD Soundsystem concluded their 12-song Life Is Beautiful set as they began it: Dazzling the crowd with a note-perfect, spirited take on one of the hits they claim not to write. “All My Friends” sent the crowd into a bouncy euphoria, and then LCD Soundsystem disappeared from Vegas once again, hopefully not for another 10 years. Someone, please offer this band a local, lengthy, preferably climate-controlled residency. –Geoff Carter
Badbadnotgood: Auditory abduction are the first words that come to mind when trying to describe Badbadnotgood’s set Saturday evening, September 28. The incredibly versatile jazz ensemble is known to have one of the most impressive production discographies in the game. And although they’ve worked with respectfully hyped rap artists from Kendrick Lamar and Ghostface Killah to dream-like vocalists Kali Uchis and Daniel Caesar, the band’s downtempo sound has the legs to stand on its own. The length of the band’s set felt jammy, but in a deeply personal way that mimics what it may be like to sit in the studio with them as they sweat out a song. There was playful onstage bander, trippy visuals and moments that each instrumentalist stood out, leaving the early audience in a collective awe. The cherry on top was a tribute to one of the greatest composers of our time, the late MF Doom. Badbad’s collaborative track, “The Chocolate Conquistadors,” was met with praise upon the opening drum roll. And as the band carried on, the iconic Madvillain gladiator mask flashed onscreen, as if Doom was still here watching over us all.
Thundercat: We just wanna party with Thundercat! This neo-funk bass guitar noodler gave this block party the jolt of energy we needed to get the night moving. As the two-time Grammy Award-winning artist took to the stage, the crowd acted accordingly and matched his off-kilter persona and manic charm. It’s impossible to resist his jazzy improvisation and tunnel of musical psychedelia. He, of course, played the certified bangers “Funny Thing,” and “Durag,” but only after letting us peek into his mind of instrumental magic. Meanwhile, the backing band kept up with ease, as if it were just another day at the office. While Thundercat’s set may not have been for everyone, it’s hard not to appreciate his authenticity and willingness to give us more than his records already do. –Gabriela Rodriguez
The Bad
Gear issues: Fans expecting to catch an earful of Toro Y Moi’s new album, Hole Erth, waited 40 minutes as the musician struggled with technical difficulties. Toro Y Moi eventually appeared onstage to explain that his band’s gear had been fried by the heat and that he’d play a couple songs on guitar before his time ended. That flexibility earned the singer-songwriter and DJ a gracious amount of applause, and he remained apologetic throughout. But it’s also hard to ignore how hollow new songs like “Tuesday” and “Undercurrent” sounded without their signature distortion and percussion. “If someone wants me to come spin at their club or some sh** like that, I’ll do it tonight. I wanna make it up to somebody,” the artist said after playing “Sandhills.” Rumors swirled that Hard Hat Lounge might recruit Toro Y Moi for that offer. Sadly nothing came of it.
The “art”: Life Is Beautiful’s robust art program is something we’ve come to expect from the Downtown festival, but the Block Party severely lacked in this area. A handful of cube-shaped light installations and two photo-op signs don’t fill in for the murals, installations and overall quirky sh** we’re used to seeing. The arts and culture aspect of this Block Party waned in comparison to previous LIB years, leaving us with a parking lot of pretty lights—disappointing considering what we know this festival is capable of doing and has done. But it also created a sense of scarcity. Other than to dance, there wasn’t much incentive to move around.
Lack of vendor variety: Sticker shock set in pretty quickly once we saw the festival prices of food and drinks for a block party that has been so carefully billed as a non-festival. Even mocktails were in the $20 range. It would’ve been nice to also see more local vendors on tap. We have so much amazing food at our fingertips and within a block’s walk Downtown, it disappointed us to see local brands being so underutilized. –AS
The Ugly
Parking: Attendees arriving by car were herded towards $50 paid valet parking, despite the presence of a giant, inexpensive city garage at the festival grounds’ southern edge. Some parked farther away in the massive Fremont Street Experience garages, trading the expense for a nearly half-mile walk in the heat. Others tried street parking along Fremont East; one of our staffers returned at the end of the night to find her car badly vandalized.
The heat: The nighttime temperature on Saturday evening was 100 degrees at 7 p.m., and never dipped below 91 degrees. Numerous attendees near the stage were seen being carried away—some by festival staff, some by friends—as the close quarters and the heat radiating from the Plaza’s asphalt lot took their toll. Even the performers commented, unfavorably, on the heat. An increased amount of shade sails, perhaps, or boxed trees placed along the periphery of the festival footprint is an absolute must for next year’s Block Party—if there is a next year. –GC
