Porter Robinson’s SMILE! :D tour stop at Forest Hills Stadium in New York celebrated music and memories with a fresh five-piece band makeover.
No artist in the electronic scene has had more twists and turns in their career than Porter Robinson. From his early complextro sound (Spitfire, 2011) and faraway soundscapes (Worlds, 2014) to neo-trance (Virtual Self, 2017) and pop ambient orchestrations (Nurture, 2021), Porter has continued to surprise his fans by viewing genre more as a suggestion than a restriction. This July, the 32-year-old producer shocked fans again with his third studio album, SMILE! :D, a panoramic pop record that’s coded with the punk-rock sounds of the Myspace era.
It was no surprise that Porter Robinson fully embraced the concept of the front man on album three, as, throughout the past decade, he has grown comfortable in front of the microphone—painting a more intricate portrait of his artistry. But the hysterical demands of fans wanting more music in the style of past projects have not been silenced. In recent interviews, Porter has brought up this subject, saying, “I love being in new fertile ground. When you’re doing something new—it has the fuckin’ sauce, you know?” Though his latest tour also recaps his first two albums, Porter is channeling his new pop-rock creativity by reimagining his previous work with a fresh five-piece band makeover.
I attended the show in New York at Forest Hills Stadium. Although the city experienced a preview of fall just a few days before, it was a warm Saturday night with dark, cloudy skies. The crowd did not seem bothered by the potential threat of rain (Forest Hills is an outdoor venue), as many donned colorful summer attire in Porter Robinson T-shirts, Illenium jerseys, and Madeon merch, and one fan in particular dressed as an air dancer, a nod to the objects used in the “KNOCK YOURSELF OUT XD” music video.
Porter and his band delivered a night filled with joy, energy, and sentimentalism.
A giant LED billboard-like structure takes up most of the venue’s platform, with mini skyscrapers underneath and a grand LED rectangle screen behind it. (The stage design is modeled after the interactive city you find on Porter’s website.) In many ways, though, the billboard serves as the band’s unofficial sixth member: it backs Porter when he dangles his feet over the structure while singing and strumming his guitar; it feeds out the heart-stopping visuals from SMILE! :D’s hyper-pop hooks, Nurture’s honest lyrics, and Worlds’ imaginative ballads; and, more importantly, it acts as a vital instrument that conjures both the past and the present.
We don’t tend to think of billboards as time capsules or, frankly, give them any extra thought because they’re marketing tools. They just live in our backgrounds. But there are moments when the paste comes off, revealing what was previously there, and, for a second, we’re transported to another period. This is how the night progressed, as the billboard peeled back what was there before, organically setting the era for each album and letting the nostalgia slowly grow. However, we shifted through time with a new lens, one told through the harmony of Porter and his band.
Porter’s voice has become stronger and richer, yielding mastery over the filters he uses on his first two albums.
Although the show’s first act featured songs from the latest album, he fully embraced the pop star persona throughout the night, playfully riffing with his bandmates and jumping from all corners of the stage, delivering an engaging stage presence worthy of Mick Jagger. His band—Wojtek Deregowski on the drums, Margot Liotta on bass and vocals, Rafa Rodriguez on guitar, and Carrick McCullough on keys—added new colors to current and classic hits that aligned with the cohesive pop vision of the show.
“Is There Really No Happiness?” was made for the live setting, as you can feel how each punch from the guitars and drums emits a larger-than-life presence not felt in the original recording. “Unfold” exhibited intense emotion because the band’s energy left the crowd emotionally charged. And on “Divinity,” the live-band element made the record more personal and raw, adding a human touch that’s lost in the original. This collective effort resulted in a night filled with joy, energy, and sentimentalism.
There were also other pleasing surprises: Frost Children, who are featured on the catchy and raucous “Mona Lisa,” took the crowd’s energy to new heights with their kinetic vocals; Porter sang a League of Legends remix of “Everything Goes On”; and the carefully timed confetti hits provided an interactive element to the event.
After the show ended and the crowd was walking toward the exit, I heard a person yell, “That show was fucking awesome!” It’s a familiar shout that we’ve all said or heard after leaving a memorable performance. I sat with their words for a minute, wondering which moments stood out to them. I then smiled after I realized what we were subconsciously doing. It’s funny how quickly nostalgia kicks in.
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