There’s a certain defining moment in a concert, a moment where every single individual present disappears into one synchronized mass of human energy. It is the “white whale” moment of live music, what perhaps every musician hopes to be able to inspire. Those of us who live and breathe live music chase it with a subconscious need akin to an addiction. The rush and feel of being in attendance for that visceral experience is like no other. Of all the concerts I’ve been to and live music I have lined up for, I have been privy to that only once in my life. Well, that is until last Wednesday.
The first time I experienced the “white whale” moment, it was in the presence of legends. I traveled day and night all the way to Iowa to see three and a half hours of The Eagles. Savvy world traveler but actually poor college student that I am, I took a bus there and back. I might have well been travelling the desert on camel back home for how unappealing such a journey was. I did it because I knew beyond a doubt that I’d come back, smelly and achy, having seen the best concert of my life, one that would make thousands forget where they even were. I had astronomical expectations, and they were met. It was a show I’ll never forget, but I’m not surprised about that—I wasn’t then, and I’m not now.
I was surprised at every instant that proved again and again how I’ll always remember Disclosure’s concert at the Orpheum last Wednesday. They aren’t musical legends; they don’t even make rock music with which I solely identify. In many ways, they cannot be compared to the likes of The Eagles, but they do know how to spin musical magic.
I’ve raved and ranted about the need to dance before. How could I not fall in love with songs that have had me covert “Footloose” dancing anywhere that I could? I could not tell you how many times I’ve listened to “Latch” on repeat since 2013, how many dance-offs with my siblings or friends that I’ve had and how many times I’ve bonded with someone who discovered Disclosure just like I did.
Finding out Disclosure was coming to Madison was not just anticipation for another new concert; it was personal this time around and so are the words I write about it. I was even prepared for the duo to be disappointing in concert, so sure was I in the knowledge that I’d enjoy seeing them regardless. Their music made me dance and that’s all you ever really need. What was unprecedented, however, was them turning the massive crowd of people into their instruments. They composed, played and spun and we moved.
The brotherly duo, Howard and Guy Lawrence, were regular kids like me one day, and all over the top charts the next. Their rise to fame has been so lightning-fast that their fanbase is still grappling to always be in the loop. Having launched with the likes of Sam Smith, and since made tracks with Lorde, Miguel and The Weeknd, they are seeping into the electronic music genre as fluidly as their tunes. Madison may have been one of their smaller venues within the leg of their world tour, but the performance was fit for thousands.
All they had to do was step out that night and launch into “White Noise” and we all lost time. If it were possible for the layers of the human mind to be individually examined, I imagine what we’d learn is the exact tap and beat needed to make us feel. Disclosure tapped into that. Think of music that is tailor-made to have your pulse racing, for your feet to twist and turn. The kind that makes your eyes lose focus and your body become one with every single living person losing themselves next to you. The way their music demands to be heard and felt in our bodies, the lights that surrounded them begged to be seen. With their lights changing with every song, “Latch” was accompanied by madness in the crowd and the signature outlines of a face on the stage.
“When A Fire Starts To Burn” was reminiscent of that raw moment of dance and movement from the Matrix movies; animalistic is really the only way to describe it. “Hourglass,” featuring a live performance from Lion Babe, “Omen” and “Jaded” felt as inspired live as they were when first heard in their new album. What Disclosure attempted to capture from day one, the true spirit of house music that is an accolade to the great ones of ’80s and ’90s, is what allows them to drive their crowds insane with wanting, wanting to feel that rush again and wanting to latch again.
