Concert Review: LCD Soundsystem at the Bomb Factory 4/26/25

I danced myself clean and lived to tell the tale.

May 03, 2025

If you ever drove up or down I-35 from DFW to Norman, Oklahoma between 2012 and 2016, you might’ve seen a gray Ford Focus with a dude screaming his heart out to LCD Soundsystem in it. That was me. I discovered the dance punk icons early in my time in college, and they’ve been a staple of my life ever since. James Murphy’s timeless lyricism about having fun while aging (he toiled until his 30’s before the band hit it big), combined with the best elements of Talking Heads, Daft Punk and New York’s underground scene made them easy to love and play on repeat. When I became a fan the band was no more, but they’ve since gotten back together, released a great fourth record and toured pretty relentlessly. They’ve always been at the top of my concert bucket list, and last Saturday I had the extreme pleasure of finally seeing them live at the Bomb Factory in Dallas.

My dad (also a big fan) and I were supposed to see them back in 2023, but an untimely thunderstorm led the Re:SET Festival getting delayed and ultimately cancelled. So when the forecast for Saturday was clear, let alone the venue being indoors anyway, we knew we were set (and not Re:SET). I’d never been to the Bomb Factory in Deep Ellum before, but getting there about 15 minutes before the opener began gave the two of us a plenty fine view of the show to come. The opener was Gustaf, a New York-based group that gave mad Talking Heads vibes. Did every song they played sound the same? Sort of. Was it a fun sound? Yes, yes it was.

LCD’s set began with “You Wanted A Hit”, a fitting beginning for a band whose “farewell” album was called Shut Up & Play The Hits. It’s one of many songs the band has with an extended intro before the vocals begin, which allowed the whole band to shuffle their way on stage. James Murphy was typically underdressed, repping a neon green t-shirt and what looked like sweatpants. Al Doyle and Pat Mahoney looked identical while providing drums, bass, synths and more. And speaking of synths, Nancy Whang looked like Edna Mode providing each song with those delicious electronic sounds that make each LCD song churn. “You Wanted A Hit” quickly transitioned into “Tribulations”, “Movement” and “Yr City’s A Sucker”, knocking out some of the biggest songs from the band’s early period. Curiously, they didn’t feature “Daft Punk Is Playing At My House”, one of their most well known hits, but the group made sure I didn’t think of this until later with the show that followed.

The band’s biggest songs live carried all the emotional weight of the studio versions. “Someone Great”, with its hypnotic rhythm and its skittering percussion, rippled across the Bomb Factory at its climax as the entire building sung along. The meticulous rise of “Oh Baby” bounced along, sounding impeccably like its studio recording. Even the mechanical climb on a song like “Losing My Edge” maintained the track’s sharpness all these years later (minus the face slapping from the music video). The initial set closed with “Home”, what was originally the final song on the band’s final album. It’s one of their most underrated cuts in my opinion, and it would’ve been a fine closer for a full show. But this is LCD Soundsystem we’re talking about, and they hadn’t even gotten to their biggest hits yet.

One of the best things about seeing a band live is appreciating songs you’ve heard a million times over in new ways. The encore set emphasized this sentiment with both “North American Scum” and “tonite” bringing little wrinkles that elevated them to set highlights. The former was particularly fun with its irreverent lyricism about the American superiority complex especially poignant in today’s world; screaming the lyrics along with all the other North American scum around me (and my dad) was fantastic. “tonite” featured a faster pace than the album version, making an already catchy song catchier. They followed it up with “x-ray eyes”, a single from late last year that hints at a new record to come, which would be their first in 8 years. It all led up to the moment I’d been waiting for my whole life: the drop 3:06 into “Dance Yrself Clean”. It was every bit the euphoria I’d expected: flashing lights, all my friends around me singing along, and the group I’d idolized forever performing their greatest song like they were at the peak of their powers. Watch it (and hear me) below.

Speaking of all my friends, there was no better way to close out the encore than with “All My Friends”. It’s a song about getting older and struggling with how to cope, something that I always used to think would hit me harder when I hit my 30’s and was absolutely right about. It was an emotional end to a night that felt like the closing of a certain chapter of my life. To see it with my dad was special too, especially after getting screwed out of seeing them once already. James Murphy even mentioned that rained-out set during the show, like it was destiny for us to dance ourselves clean to some of the greatest dance punk music ever made. The depth of the band’s discography made the show a 10/10 even without some of their biggest songs, like “call the police” or “Drunk Girls”. That kid who used to drive up and down I-35 would’ve been proud of his older self for having such a great time.