There are two types of lives you can live–the life you live before you have seen Madeon live, and the one you live after. Less of a concert and more of a spiritual encounter, Madeon rocked The Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on Friday November 18th for the last of his Good Faith Forever era, the culmination of 5 years of his work and vision.
Hugo Pierre Leclercq, better known by his artist name Madeon, has been in the spotlight for over a decade, emerging as a new artist after releasing his popular “Pop Culture” mashup on YouTube in 2011 when he was only 17 years old, earning six million views in just a few days. In this viral phenomenon, several of his musical influences were mixed together in a way that was never quite seen before, but quickly drew comparisons to the likes of Daft Punk, Justice, and other French House icons. Madeon capitalized off of this fame and released his first EP The City in 2012, followed by his debut album Adventure in 2015, leading us to his most recent album Good Faith in 2018.
With this, Madeon created a unique live experience for his fans, coined as The Good Faith Forever tour. Combining emphatic live music with striking visuals and vibrant colors projected onto a full-size LED screen, the experience is unlike any other. The halls of the Shrine Auditorium buzzed with excitement as loyal fans awaited the legendary French Electropop artist.
Leading the night was BAYNK (full name Jock Nowell-Usticke), a New Zealand-born electronic artist. His atmospheric blend of tropical house and future bass tracks allowed for his airy vocals to delight the crowd, rising up on popular tracks “Water” and “go with u.”
Madeon commanded the stage immediately with “All My Friends”, with the infectious bass line and crunchy synth leads, there was not a single attendee sitting down by the first song. With a setlist that many have come to know over the past couple of years, a few surprises were thrown in the mix alongside the expected heavy hitters such as “No Fear No More,” “Icarus,” “You’re On,” and “Be Fine.” Certain songs were electrified with bonus mixes and overtures featured in “The Prince/Hyper Prince” and “Technicolor/Innocence,” adding more juice to an already high-octane display. Fans were even treated to “Shelter,” a popular song in collaboration with fellow DJ Porter Robinson, who unfortunately did not grace the stage for a guest appearance for the song (although it would have been awesome.)
I was reminded just how special a Madeon show is after experiencing this final Good Faith Forever show. I’ve been following his work for over a decade now, and I am insanely proud of his progression as an artist and cannot wait to see what’s in store for the new phase of Madeon. If after reading this you’re curious about checking out a Madeon show, you may have to wait a bit to see him on stage again, but I can promise you it will be well worth the wait.
See the gallery below for photos of both Baynk and Madeon.
crowdsurfermag.com 