Phoenix Played Lifebeat @ Terminal 5 - Pictures, Video, Setlist, Review

Last night we stopped in at Terminal 5 to try and satiate our never-satisfied addiction to Phoenix. The event was a benefit for the AIDS charity Lifebeat, and was sponsored by the MTV Music Music Awards. Suffice it to say, it didn't necessarily have the feel of a "typical" show. Never mind that the event was all ages; it was also oddly sterile, with a corporate feel that we hadn't experienced at a gig in a while. That being said, we were there for one reason: to see Phoenix, and we're more than a little glad we did.

The band played an unquestionably truncated set (eight songs, below), despite being the headliner. While we were a little bummed it was that short, we kind of expected it as well given the nature of the event. Despite the short setlist, the band dug into the tunes and gave it their all. What's more, they were (as always) ridiculously on top of things technically, and got the crowd dancing in a matter of minutes.

The setlist, while a total blast, also played it safe: all of the tracks, with the exception of "Too Young" were from Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix or It's Never Been Like That. While it makes sense that the band would play their most accessible material (especially at an industry-sponsored event), we have to say that we would have loved to have seen them rock it out on "Run Run Run".

The too brief set closed out with "1901" (see video, below), and it was just then that we realized how much the Phoenix hype has reached a fever pitch. Watching a crowd of teeny-somethings grasping at Thomas Mars as he entered the audience was both endearing and remarkable: if this is the future of popular music, count us in.

Setlist
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Lisztomania
Long Distance Call
Consolation Prizes
Lasso
Napoleon Says
Rally
Too Young
1901



video: Phoenix - "1901" @ Terminal 5
video: Phoenix - "Long Distance Call" @ Terminal 5
Many more photos in the HAD Archive