A Tribe Called Red took the stage as the sun set over Fort York on the first night (June 3) of the Field Trip festival. They've had an incredibly busy year, so it's no surprise that their high-energy set was mostly seamless, save for a few hiccups when it came to transitioning from one song to the next.
Throughout their career, the issue that has beleaguered the "pow wow step" group the most is song structure, a fault that makes perfect sense for electronic artists whose reputation is built on their live sets of songs strewn together. When they play live and are in their element, song structure is still important, but takes a backseat to their ability to pump their audience up and keep them there.
The group was operating on a higher level on Saturday night, as the way their entire set was deliberately structured made abundantly clear. While most of their catalogue that showed up during their set appeared in more cut-up fashion, hit single "R.E.D." arrived in full. It also got the biggest reaction from the crowd, suggesting both its placement and the decision to leave it unchanged were deliberate. It was the set's climactic moment, and the group's crew of dancers all hit the stage at once to even bigger cheers from the festival attendees.
Throughout their career, the issue that has beleaguered the "pow wow step" group the most is song structure, a fault that makes perfect sense for electronic artists whose reputation is built on their live sets of songs strewn together. When they play live and are in their element, song structure is still important, but takes a backseat to their ability to pump their audience up and keep them there.
The group was operating on a higher level on Saturday night, as the way their entire set was deliberately structured made abundantly clear. While most of their catalogue that showed up during their set appeared in more cut-up fashion, hit single "R.E.D." arrived in full. It also got the biggest reaction from the crowd, suggesting both its placement and the decision to leave it unchanged were deliberate. It was the set's climactic moment, and the group's crew of dancers all hit the stage at once to even bigger cheers from the festival attendees.