August 2007, I am working as a substitute as a department head at Journalism I am in a period of depression. Journalist Philip Reno just gave me his picture of Daft Punk, which will soon be on display at the Bell Center. We discuss some details on the phone, and Philip is so excited that he almost gives me an order to get tickets for the show. “It’s the must-see show this year, and they haven’t visited Montreal since their last tour in 1997!”
Of course, I know Daft Punk. I like it, you danced so much on their successes. Without fully understanding their bias towards the robot costumes that they never leave in public, which I found a bit chic. And then, a couple of guys disguised in disguise and messing around with pitons in a big yard, could this really make a good show? Philip explains to me that at the last Coachella festival in 2006, they completely smashed the house, and people are crazy because they took the show’s scenography to another level.
Portrait of David Boiley, press archives
Daft Punk during their visit to Montreal at the Bell Center in 2007
Monday, Daft Punk announced, with a simple excerpt from his film Electrum The adventure is over (Mag pitchfork Has been confirmed). It remains implausible that this duo formed by French Guy Manuel de Homem Christo and Thomas Bangalter, who has influenced the electronic landscape and culture so much since 1993, split up without being able to put human faces into their exploits. . This is because Daft Punk, while celebrating technology, has also voiced his concerns for the future of humanity. These two geniuses who have made millions of people dance for 28 years will be able to go about their business without being widely recognized, which is unusual in the world of stars, cameras and facial recognition …
They understood something before anyone else and created a voice that’s known everywhere today, among other things because they made kids and artists tear up their collaborations (even Kanye West, who is simultaneously experiencing another kind of breakup with Kim Kardashian).
Portrait of David Boiley, press archives
Spectators in the Peel Center hole during a Daft Punk party in Montreal, 2007
In 2007, when I went to the Bell Center with my friend Fred, who is a huge fan of Kraftwerk, but not necessarily Daft Punk, we didn’t have certain expectations. I lived there one of the most beautiful performances in my life, which I still dream about. It was more than just a show, it was a group euphoria (I even saw people lose consciousness on Earth). The whole time, I stood dancing non-stop, dazzled by the special effects that changed with each room, as if we had hijacked a strange nightclub led by a luminous pyramid. In other words, we no longer touch the Earth, even though the images of the planet reminded us of its menacing beauty.
All of their “old” songs sounded like new, remixed by the creators and merged with their latest – Daft Punk only made four professional studio albums, Homework (1997), Discovery (2001), The human being after all (2005) and RAM (2013): There was no need for more to enter music history. But as technical and robotic as Daft Punk might seem, the experience has to be physical and real to be complete – and we can’t help but think about the current poverty in our lives in front of the screens of the pandemic, and in particular on the block. The touch: I remember the touch … the sweet touch, it almost convinced me that I’m real, I need something more …
Portrait of David Boiley, press archives
Daft Punk from the top of their luminous pyramid when they came to Montreal in 2007
In this concert, sometimes one note, one sound, was enough to recognize it Around the world, Da Funk, Technologic, Human After all, Rollin ‘and Scratchin‘… honestly, I haven’t danced like this since the last time Rave And I could go on all night (thanks to Philip for his persistence). They even gave the ending a humorous nod with a stunning cult film image. You see, That made the crowd scream, while it was not yet known that they would soon sign the soundtrack for Tron: a legacy (We don’t see who could have met the challenge.)
After that show, Daft Punk would have returned to Montreal ten times, I would have gone to see them ten times. I never stopped hoping this would happen, especially after the album RAM (A great tribute to Giorgio Moroder and Neil Rodgers who contain the mega-Success Be lucky With Pharrell Williams). So, for 13 years, I’ve been waiting for them to come back, like Elliot with ET, which unfortunately won’t happen with Monday’s announcement (unless there’s a publicity stunt I secretly want).
Sure, anyone with incredible luck attending one of their mourning concerts today, which is understandable, because everyone has contributed to the Daft Punk legend. You had to be there to believe it. You had to be a human, after all.