CRYSTAL TAYLOR
Staff Writer
Everywhere the British vocalist goes, M.I.A. (Mathangi “Maya” Arulpragasam) causes a stir. Having been previously denied a visa to enter the United States and condemned due to the political nature of some of her songs. This artist is a one-woman revolt against societal conventions, and she brings her rebellion into her music and onto the stage at her shows.
On Oct. 27, she brought her hip-hop protest to the Vegoose Festival.
The two-day festival at the Sam Boyd stadium in Las Vegas wowed the crowd for the third year in a row. Hosting acts such as Daft Punk, The Shins, Public Enemy and Rage Against the Machine, the eclectic line-up pulled away from its jam-band roots and brought more than 40,000 people.
Although she wasn’t Saturday’s headliner, the British phenomenon rivaled show-stoppers Daft Punk for rule over the night and pulled fans away from The Shins, who were unfortunate enough to perform at the same time.
From the first bass hit of “Bamboo Banga,” M.I.A.’s opening song, the crowd erupted into fits of dancing.
Most of them were avid fans who had her lyrics committed to memory, and their singing sometimes even drowned out her own. “Bamboo Banga” set the energy level for the rest of show with its infectious chanting of “M.I.A. is coming back to power, power!” and tribal drumbeats.
M.I.A.’s energy matched her audience’s, running back and forth and dancing around in a blinding silver sequin jacket and white shorts.
She also brought a new DJ, Low Bee, along with her, who proved just as talented as her favored stage companion (DJ Diplo) when it came to mixing in the Pixies track, “Where is My Mind?” and New Order’s “Blue Monday,” adding to the overall performance with electronic randomness that just served to add to the eccentricity of the night. The only flaw this DJ harbored over the usual one was the overuse of certain samples, such as the bullhorn.
Having invited fans onto stage with her at past performances, M.I.A. decided to repeat history. She called for all her fans to jump the barrier, climb up the speakers and dance with her.
Soon, dozens of people at a time were jumping over the rail while the people behind them surged forward for their turn. Sensing that things were starting to get out of their control, security guards rushed in from all directions, trying to keep the audience on their side of the railing.
Even with the opposition, more than a hundred fans got on stage with her while others were content to dance on the speakers or right in front of the stage.
After she finished the song she had been performing, they shut the entire stage down and wouldn’t let her continue performing until everybody got off the stage — much to her disapproval.
One of the best performances of the night was “Paper Planes,” one of M.I.A.’s more laid-back beats. Collective hands went up in simulated guns when the tracked gunshots (a signature M.I.A. sample) rang out and the singing crowd simulated the children who sing on her album.
“World Town” and “XR2” were two impressive live performances, as their beats really stirred the crowd up and lent to M.I.A.’s energy on stage. She was really into her performance and beckoned the crowd to get as into the music as she was.
Even though she had a sore throat, M.I.A. performed almost all of her new album, “Kala,” as well as some favorites off of her old one, “Arular.” None of the songs were performed poorly, and the crowd offered their voices up to compensate for hers.
Be sure to check out M.I.A. when she performs in Calif. this weekend.
11-08-2007
