Justice - Live in Austin 03-04-08

Went to Austin last night to see Justice live. In one word, epic. In several words, an audio assault. Justice delivered a bruising hour and thirty minute set with a coolness and confidence that just made it look too easy. Holding a cigarette with one hand throughout most of the night, they kept the crowd jumping, screaming, fist-pumping, and crowd surfing. Their dj setup resembled a large electronic block with the occasional blinking lights. The setup hid their hands from the crowd, building the crowd’s suspense even more as everyone thought, “I don’t know what the hell they are doing behind there, but it sounds badass”. Justice also used twin towers made up of 16 Marshall Amps each. This was there more for show than for sound. It drove home the fact that, while some of their tracks might remind you of early 80s Michael Jackson, they were also influenced metal bands of the 80s such as Metallica (they actually performed a mix of Master of Puppets and The Party as an encore).

Every track was made heavier, gone was the sing-along single version D.A.N.C.E., instead they used the harder (and just as good as the original) MSTRKRFT remix. Once the set started, there was hardly any time to worry about the 30 degree weather and even less time to rest your eardrums. Plus I won a poster autographed by Justice. For electro concerts in the Houston area, this one will be hard to top.