Santigold April 2, the Foundry.
Bolstered by pictures of cheeseburgers and time-lapse videos of shoppers in grocery stores, Santigold’s We Buy Gold tour is a commentary on consumer culture, shrink-wrapped in meme-worthy images of fast food and vending machines. If Adult Swim ever held an Idiocracy-themed dance party, it would probably look a lot like Saturday night’s show—in a good way. From the moment Santigold stepped onto the Foundry stage (30 minutes past schedule), she brought endearing, cheeky energy to the new venue, making most of us forget we had to wait. During the 22-song set, the singer ran through the dancehall- and reggae-influenced tracks from latest album 99¢, while peppering the show with plenty of the electro-forward, synth-focused gems that put her on the map back in 2008.
But what really made the performance soar were the dancers. Two stoic, straight-faced women stood at opposite ends of the stage in matching outfits and sunglasses, cycling through a number of costumes including skin-tight white leotards with 99¢ logos, oversized tees and silver-sequined sneakers. As Santigold sang standouts like “L.E.S. Artistes” and new single “Chasing Shadows,” her dancers twerked and crumped to every beat, vying for the singer’s spotlight.
Between the squeaky vocals on “Big Boss Big Time Business” and the smoky-cool New Wave tone of “Rendezvous Girl” and “Disparate Youth,” Santigold’s live show expanded on her genre-defying sound, making for a catchy roller-coaster of a set. Even when she employed gimmicky tricks, like inviting the crowd onstage or using a bubble machine, it added to the splendor. Between the visuals and the strength of her repertoire, Santigold took us on an absurd, thrilling ride.
Setlist:
“You’ll Find a Way”
“L.E.S. Artistes”
“Big Boss Big Time Business Banshee”
“Lights Out”
“Say Aha”
“Unstoppable”
“Freak Like Me”
“Rendezvous Girl”
“Who Be Lovin Me”
“Chasing Shadows”
“Disparate Youth”
“Anne”
“Creator”
“Go!”
“All I Got”
“Who I Thought You Were”
“Brooklyn”
“Shove It”
“Can’t Get Enough of Myself”
Encore:
“Hold the Line”
“Big Mouth”
