The last time MGMT played The Riviera Theatre was back in 2010–the band was on their Congratulations tour, Tame Impala was the opener, and it was my inaugural MGMT show. Fast forward 8 years and the band finds themselves back at the Riviera for two nights promoting their most recent release, Little Dark Age. After a 5 year hiatus following their self-titled album, many wondered if they had called it quits and just forgotten to inform the press. Lo and behold, the band had been working on a brilliant album that reflects on the current state of our society.

Playing to a full theatre of fans that never lost faith in the band, MGMT pulled heavily from their new album when creating their setlists each night. They guys opted to start with two of my new favorites–the title track and “When You Die,” which were quickly followed by one of the songs that originally put them on the charts–“Time to Pretend.” The fans were not only receptive to the new material, they were downright screaming for new songs like “Me and Michael” and “Hand it Over.” Memorable moments included “She Works Out Too Much” when Andrew VanWyngarden rode an exercise bike while singing, “TSLAMP” which prominently featured a Spanish guitar, and “When You’re Small” which featured Ben Goldwasser on vocals. Both nights were extremely fulfilling, especially for fans who had waited years to see these guys live on stage again.