MGMT entertains packed crowd at the Field House

Five members of MGMT took to the stage Friday evening with smiles on their faces. They seemed to be even more excited than the crowd that packed the Field House. With new tracks off ‘Congratulations' basically alternating with hits from their debut album, ‘Oracular Spectacular,' MGMT pleased their fans and made believers out of the doubters.

According to SCOPE publicity director Krysty Pringle, the concert was close to perfect in many people's eyes.

"It was one of the smoothest concerts we ever had," Pringle said. "This crowd was awesome. People who were there were there because they really enjoy the music. The energy was incredible."

Through the mug and sweat of the crowd, there was an electrifying feel, without being able to create the synth pop sound that could turn off some album listeners. MGMT brought a twist and shout rock feel that had everyone's hands clapping and feet stomping. They devised a set list that had everyone bumping when they wanted to and slowed things down when it was necessary.

Many students agreed that SCOPE got this one right.

"It was the best atmosphere I've ever been involved with at a college concert," junior Kevin Decker said. "Usually these acts entail the studio version playing over a radio and the artist throwing in the occasional ‘put your hands up,' but MGMT was live and had the crowd in a frenzy."

The band kicked the night off with a new hit called ‘Flash Delirium.'

They were clearly feeling the packed crowd as they thanked them for going nuts in the beginning and continued to tell them they were awesome all night.

‘Flash Delirium,' the opener, set the tone for the rest of the performance.

Some artists would be upset by getting hit with a pair of glowing glasses during a song. Now Andrew VanWyngarden. He smiled, put them back together and wore them for the next song.

‘The Handshake' is a favorite for MGMT junkies and according to the crowds reaction, the performance did not disappoint. With an extended version of the chanting at the end, the guitar ripped and the band grooved.

After an equally crowd-inspiring performance of ‘Weekend Wars' the group continued on with new songs such as ‘It's Working,' ‘Song for Dan Treacy', ‘Someone's Missing'' and ‘I Found a Whistle.'  They also rocked ‘Of Moons, Birds & Monsters,' ‘Pieces Of What' and ‘The Youth' from ‘Oracular Spectacular.'

MGMT had people bouncing off each other when they went into ‘Time To Pretend' and ‘Electric Feel.'  Adding more guitar and live rock feel for both songs, these versions had students raving.

After proclaiming ‘Brian Eno' would be their last song, they rocked out, thanked the crowd and exited stage left.  However, everyone knew there was at least one more crowd pleaser left and that they weren't done.

"Does this mean you like us?" Ben Goldwasser asked as he walked back on stage, happy to see UNH loved them.

To start the encore off, they played ‘Destrokk' from their ‘Time To Pretend EP.'

 This song is a mix of deep lyrics and melody, but is relatively unknown.

After, they slowed things down with ‘Congratulations,' the last song and title track off their sophomore album. The lighters were out, swaying back and forth with a crowd that was seemed caught in the moment.  As the song ended, the band members released themselves from their instruments and came to the front of the stage.  

VanWyngarden, once again, proclaimed the next song would be their last.

The famous melody from ‘Kids' started playing from a recorded track as the band joined the crowd in dancing to the song. The energy in the building could not be ignored, and MGMT seemed to notice.  

"The tour crew said it was one of their best college shows," SCOPE's Executive Director Jared Dobson said. "We do months of planning. So many people worked hard for those few hours of bliss for those students in the crowd. Everyone pulls together and it's was just a great feeling to see the outcome."

The band was dancing just as the crowd did, with those grins even wider than when they walked onto the stage. These smiles, though, were different. These were ‘job well done' smiles. They took a break from their instruments to soak it all in and watch the controlled chaos they created from four feet above.