LCD Soundsystem Defines Bonnaroo 2016 With Spectacular but Under-Attended set

“It’s the end of an era, it’s true.“

There’s been a lot of talk about why LCD Soundsystem, a beloved but largely unknown indie electronic band, had been tapped to headline one of the biggest music festivals in the country. What is it about James Murphy and his scrappy band of electro misfits that slingshot them to the top line of every festival lineup, from Coachella to Lollapalooza to Bonnaroo?

On Friday night, Murphy & Co. answered that question with an exclamation point, rigorously pursuing four-on-the-floor disco beats and warped, retro synth vibes that sprawled to the farthest reaches of the field and back again. From the opening chug of “Us v Them” to the dying refrain of “All My Friends,” LCD Soundsystem was entrancing — using repetitive 64-bar grooves to infect the crowd with the partiest version of existential dread imaginable.

“Existential dread” doesn’t exactly sound like a jam you and thousands of strangers would want to get down with, but it works. It works like Kraftwerk’s live gigs work — relentlessly crackling with electromagnetism and surprising emotional resonance. Clustered together on a tiny patch of the What Stage’s enormous platform, Murphy conducted the reformed Soundsystem through a parade of party hits, including “I Can Change” and a kraut-y rendition of “Daft Punk Is Playing at My House,” before settling into the band’s most contemplative, despairing works, among them “Losing My Edge,” “New York, I Love You (But You’re Bringing Me Down)” and “Dance Yrself Clean."

Certainly there was something inspiring about watching an art-rock ensemble rock tens of thousands of festivalgoers with an anti-pop anthem called "You Wanted a Hit." But it was still a far cry from 80,000 people singing along to "Hey Jude." LCD's draw paled in comparison to superstar headliners of yesteryear like Paul McCartney and Jay Z. But that was the feeling of the whole festival.The elephant in the room at this year’s 'Roo is that the festival is dramatically less crowded than usual.

In its 15th year (which is like 75 in festival years), for better or for worse, Bonnaroo feels like a different festival. The woe that Murphy croons over seeing New York gentrify into a Disneyland version of its former self fits so close to the narrative we saw play out at this year’s now-Live Nation-owned Bonnaroo that it feels like more than a mere coincidence. As the band climaxed into the back half of “Dance Yrself Clean,” which wrestles with disenchantment, fireworks exploded overhead, driving the point home even further, while making for the grandest crowd-wide moment of transcendent jubilation at 'Roo 2016

But, like Murphy sings, “Maybe we’re wrong and maybe they’re right.”