Live Report: Air Celebrate 'Moon Safari' At The Hollywood Bowl
- karansinghjour
- Sep 21
- 3 min read
Updated: Sep 30
This article was originally published on Clash
The landmarks that best symbolize most major cities in the United States are typically skyscrapers, bridges or historical monuments. Los Angeles, of course, is different, because nothing captures its essence quite like the Hollywood Bowl. It comes as no surprise, then, that Air initially chose the iconic amphitheater to kickstart their North American tour (though they would later add a show in Mexico that took place prior to the one in Southern California).
In 2024, the French duo hit the road for the first time in over six years to celebrate a quarter century since the release of their debut LP. An extension of their global trek that has passed through Europe, South America and Asia so far, they played their first show in the US this past weekend.
On Sunday (September 21st), Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel set up shop—a rectangular cuboid elevated about ten feet above the floor—inside the unmistakable Hollywood Hills bandshell. Following a DJ set by Bonobo, Air took the stage with touring drummer Louis Delorme (an unsung hero of the evening) to perform ‘Moon Safari’ in its entirety plus a handful of other tunes from their catalogue. With support from the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra situated right beneath their chamber, the three-piece belted out a total of nineteen songs for the thousands in attendance.
Dressed in their trademark whites, the precision with which the band reproduced each cut from their culture-shifting debut was augmented further by the symphonic richness of Roger Neill’s brigade. ‘Moon Safari’ is among the most influential dream pop albums of all time, and there couldn't have been a better way to honor it.
Whereas the 1998 project has zero skips, there were a select few numbers from its live retelling that stood taller than the rest.Much like ‘Your Woman’ by White Town or ‘Feel Good Inc.’ by Gorillaz, ‘Sexy Boy’ is the sole occupant in a category of its own. Almost unbelievable in its one-of-a-kind existence, witnessing its construction from the ground up made it real all of a sudden. Humanizing an entity that otherwise felt as though it belonged to a different world was … breathtaking.
‘All I Need’ came on right after, and although its execution was just as divine as the previous song, the raspy wow-wow waves that so delicately engulf the second half combined with the fullness of the orchestra are what truly made this performance golden.
As for pieces like ‘Remember’, most of the work has already been done in the studio. The vocals carry in them a sense of defeat, but one you want to revel in to feel the complete range of human emotions, from elation (which this album provides a lot of) through despair and all the way out to solace — it’s what helps us feel alive and remember that our existence is a lot more complex than we typically lead ourselves to believe. With that in mind, it’s remarkable how a composition with such a limited vocabulary can help you feel so comfortable in your body when you see those eleven words emanating from a living, breathing person.
On a similar wavelength but with a wider scope, the caressing warmth of ‘Ce matin-là’ helps resolve the many feelings ‘Moon Safari’ elicits over its runtime. Similar to ‘La Femme d’argent’ and ‘Talisman’, this one took on a whole new identity with orchestral backing — words cannot express the emotional depth of the song’s muffled trombones.
The second act of the show as well as the two-part encore consisted of picks from ‘The Virgin Suicides’ score (2000), ‘10 000 Hz Legend’ (2001) and ‘Talkie Walkie’ (2004). Unsurprisingly, ‘Venus’, ‘Cherry Blossom Girl’ and ‘Don’t Be Light’ were among the standout tunes on exhibition.
Air’s stage act is a candid reminder of what’s missing in so many sectors of the live music space today. The problem was never digitization or technology, but rather the choice so many artists make to not bring instruments into the mix while performing. It’s rather simple: people want to see where the sounds they feel so strongly about are coming from.
The inaugural show of Air’s current tour in the United States demonstrated the importance of not only putting music on display, but also recreating it for those who want nothing more than to believe in it. Fortunately, there’s plenty for everyone since the pair will be running it back eleven more times over the next month.
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