Concert review: The Field, M83, Annie Clark shine at Moogfest

As a native Californian I’m ashamed to admit that I’ve never been to Coachella, but I’m willing to wager that Moogfest weighs favorably on a comprehensive quality scale.

During the past weekend, I was happy to be situated in the charming, mostly-indoor venues of Asheville rather than the brutal California desert. This city, situated in the picturesque Blue Ridge Mountains, is hip, leaning favorably toward “hippy” instead of “hipster.” Pan-Asian kitsch stores and vegan restaurants abound, but the character sans attitude provided an audience way friendlier and approachable than most similar gatherings of the musically in the know.

And the kitchen sink curatorial methodology that seems to drive major music festivals is smartly challenged with Moogfest—its occasion, which celebrates the inventor of the synthesizer and longtime Asheville resident Robert Moog, recruits a diverse crop of talent that is diverse yet pleasingly coherent. Anyway, it’s more feasible for me to make decisions like “James Murphy vs. Passion Pit” than “Spoon vs. Clipse” during those dreaded overlapping set times.

I opted to watch mostly seasoned yet du jour performers, coming off the strength of memorable 2011 releases—the payoff was witnessing clear highlights on each of three nights, delivered by musical talents delivering representations of their finest work yet.

The Field attracted an impressive crowd despite overlapping with Moby’s full-blown neon spectacle one floor below. Though his music is fairly introspective, the kind you’re used to hearing alone in the library through white ear buds, the live experience allowed for an interesting turn of engagement. He draws his loops out even longer, building even larger anticipation for the simple epiphanies he produces with an acutely timed soul sample or distended saxophone note—something exhilarating to experience in a collective setting.

St. Vincent’s performance on night two packed the same auditorium with body heat to match the fire she conjured with her guitar. Strange Mercy already sounded loud and brash relative to her earlier work, but her live performance colors way outside those lines yet. No artist better evoked the notion of raw talent, and her 2011 output demonstrates a boldness that increased in successive intervals with each of her albums.

As one of the first stops on M83’s American tour, Moogfest could not have been a more ideal setting. Asheville’s alternative vibes combined with Halloween weekend and a younger than average crowd resulted in a shockingly perfect manifestation of M83’s teenage outcast aesthetic. Hundreds of just-post-high schoolers wearing face paint, Indian feathers and animal hoods bounced around, entranced by Anthony Gonzalez’s bona fide rock star presence—he even exuded sex appeal while dancing over his keyboards and thrashing out muscular guitar. Watching him direct Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming in its proper stadium-rocking setting was genuinely ecstatic.

M83, who practically ensures future investment in a Synth Hero video game, was a fitting final night headliner, championing its namesake with style to spare.