Review: Air at Yugong Yishan

Sep 26-27
AIR
RMB 700, advance RMB 550.
8pm, 11pm (after party). Yugong Yishan (6404 2711)

With their first ever shows in China, Air also happened to be a very fitting, along with the equally placid Benson and Jarreau, choice of first foreign act to perform in the post-Olympics, post-Bjork era: relaxing, intimate and ever uncontroversial.

Masters of la politesse, Messrs. Nicolas Godin and Jean Benoit Dunckel took to the stage on time and in characteristic lounge outfits of open collars and shrunk pants. Godin manned the mic and electric guitar, while the elfin Dunckel ensconsed himself in the keyboard section, switching off between the synthesizers and grand piano. A gleeful bearded drummer joined them. The operatic atmospherics of previous live outings have dissolved in the intimacy of their three-man Close Up Tour; the men stayed stationary throughout a largely rehearsed set of 90s classics and newer, more prog-rock cuts from albums like their most recent Pocket Symphony, as lights and fog (of the legal and, thanks to the crowd, perhaps illegal sort) danced around them. Keeping the Korg in the back did allow for one interesting visual: frequent views of Dunckel's surprisingly pert derriere.

But the sexy boys - who, ten years out from their launching pad Moon Safari, are family men and early-nighters - had more to offer than a tight show of synth-pop classics: specifically, a comfortable, comforting respite from a very un-sexy drought of good music, especially the foreign variety. Visiting music tours have been all but absent (notable exceptions include Harry Connick Jr., Incubus, James Blunt and some Cantopop stars) since Bjork's notorious Tibet alarm call, after which the culture ministry signaled it would be even harder for foreign acts to get permissions and visas. Meanwhile, the Olympics seemingly put the kibosh on anything vaguely resembling an amplifier. Fortunately Air kept their on-stage banter terse and apolitical, avoiding even the easy joke about Beijing's less-than-groovy air (though Godin may have overused the vocoder in offering robotic mercis, thank yous and xie xies every chance he got). Fortunately, officials have already given the green light to a string of big shows, including this week's Modern Sky Festival, Avril Lavigne, Linkin Park and Kanye (let's just hope the government doesn't piss him off).

But if this city needs more musical openness, it also needs less exclusivity. Air's shows were priced between RMB 550 and 700 - dramatically more than what this show might cost in New York, say, and far out of the reach of an average Beijinger. The audience was made of the usual suspects - foreign writers, designers, businessmen, and the Chinese elite (Maggie Cheung! Gao Yuanyuan!) - the sort for whom Air's sonic wallpaper may be mere decoration for pseudo-fabulous lifestyles. But what about serving the people?

Sure, the band that inspired Sophia Coppola and a million make-out sessions may not be the best inspiration for Beijing's musical future. But in a moment of some calm after the Olympics - and on a weekend when China made its first moonwalk - Air's nostalgic, spaced-out vision of the future felt right. Not the most gripping concert, but good background music for this transitional moment, a breath of something fresh.

Links and Sources
Photos: Matthew Niederhauser
Yugong Yishan
Pitchfork: Review of Pocket Symphony
Pitchfork: Restrictions on performing in China Post-Bjork
TMZ: Kanye attack caught on tape
The Beijinger: AIR Tonight at Yugong Yishan
The Beijinger: Review: George Benson and Al Jarreau
The Beijinger: Review: James Blunt at Star Live
The Beijinger: Review: Incubus at Star Live
The Beijinger: Review: Harry Connick Jr. at the Beijing Exhibition Theater
The Beijinger: Can't Get Enough of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs