Air’s ‘Moon Safari’ Celebrates 25th Anniversary at Piece HallAir’s ‘Moon Safari’ Celebrates 25th Anniversary at Piece Hall Legendary French duo Air enchanted the iconic Piece Hall in Halifax with a captivating performance of their seminal album “Moon Safari” in celebration of its 25th anniversary. The ethereal soundscapes and slow-tempo atmospherics of “Moon Safari” resonated perfectly with the warm summer evening, creating an immersive ambiance. The show commenced with the instrumental “La femme d’argent,” a mesmerizing opening track that set the scene for a unique and unforgettable experience. Air’s stage design featured a stage within a stage, with a rectangular box open at the front housing the band and their instruments. Nicolas and Jean-Benoit stood on opposite sides of the drummer, creating a focal point that was enhanced by a mesmerizing light show. The effect was akin to peering through a cinematic portal, transporting the audience to a different realm. The overall pace of the “Moon Safari” set remained consistent, with the band’s signature slow-burn style captivating the audience throughout. However, the encore featured more psychedelic and expansive tracks, demonstrating Air’s versatility and musical prowess. The highlight of the evening was the fuzzy whirlwind of “Don’t Be Light,” which showcased Air’s ability to create otherworldly soundscapes. The band’s performance was a testament to the lasting legacy of “Moon Safari,” an album that continues to inspire and captivate listeners. The combination of Air’s sophistication, the unique stage design, and the immersive atmosphere created an unparalleled experience that transported the audience to the ethereal realms of space travel. The performance was a celebration of both the album’s enduring appeal and the timeless talents of Air, leaving the audience with an unforgettable musical memory.
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Legendary French duo Air brought their Moon Safari to the iconic Piece Hall in Halifax in celebration of the 25th anniversary of this iconic album.
Moon Safari, with its chilled progressive pop and slow atmospheric feel, proved a perfect soundtrack to the warm summer’s evening – in fact, you’d be hard pushed to find a better song to fit the setting than the 7-and-a-half-minute instrumental “La femme d’argent” that opens the album.
They put on a completely unique performance with a stage within a stage, as a long box open only at the front housed the band and all the instruments, with a drummer in the middle and Nicolas and Jean-Benoit at opposite sides to each other.
The box unit incorporated its own light show that fit perfectly with the music and made a focal point of the band, whether they were in silhouette or fully lit up. It felt, at times, though, like you were peering through someone’s letterbox to see what was on the other side, but it gave the viewer an overall cinematic experience. Like watching the lounge band of the Starship Enterprise.
The overall pace of Moon Safari doesn’t really change over its duration, and the Piece Hall’s BSL interpreter must have had one of their easiest shifts ever. Once the main event had come to a close, though, they played a series of tracks from other albums that saw them become even more psychedelic and expansive, like on the fuzzy whig out of “Don’t be Light,” which was a highlight.
AIR, the album that soundtracked a generation’s late nights and fuzzy hangovers and the unique technology-led delivery of it 25 years later, was a truly unique experience that oozed with the sophistication and class of the French duo and is probably the closest to space travel us mere mortals will ever experience.
Magnifique!
