I can’t remember the last time I got tingles down my spine, as well as tears welling in my eyes at a music event. I also can’t recall the last time that I was overwhelmed, rendered speechless and just so emotionally moved by the performance of an electronic act. However, what I do know is that I experienced all of these things at the Entertainment Centre last Friday night while watching the Chemical Brothers, and I’m even getting teary now just thinking about it!

For those of you who went to the show, you’d understand exactly why I’m getting so worked up. This truly was an incredible night that surpassed all of my ‘jaded clubber’ expectations. The visuals!! My goodness! Sure, I thought Daft Punk was good – but this was amazing. Now for a bit of honesty: I didn’t really take much notice of the warmup sets from Muscles or James Holroyd – I mean, who’s really there for the warm ups when the Chemical Brothers are playing! Though I would like to congratulate James Holroyd for building the anticipation very well for the Chems. I haven’t heard of him prior to this tour, but he delivered a pretty good set!

Now, back to the Chemical Brothers: opening with the menacing lyrics of Galvanize rolling through the crowd, the lights went nuts and so did the crowd – arms raised to the roof and whistles and yells galore. This sent the first lot of chills down my spine. I haven’t listened much to the Push the Button album that Galvanize comes from, but this hit track from it is one of the best the Chemical Brothers have ever released, and it’s exhilarating vibes sure went down well for an opening song.

While it’s the visuals pumping out of the massive screens that are the main component of the new Chemical Brothers live show, the display of laser that they put on was mindblowing in itself – not since the last Transmission party have I seen a laser show like it, and again I’m calling for more clubs and events to use them in their production portfolio – they just add so much to the experience. Purple, blue, white red and green lasers were used in the Entertainment Centre, and there was a whole lot of reaching for them for the crowd. Even the older people in the audience (and there was quite a few aged over 30 that I could see) were getting into it.

The LED curtain behind the stage was so fantastic. Each and every visual display was perfectly synched with the music, and the scary clowns, marching robots, monkeys, people dancing, running and someone swinging through trees were just a touch of what we got treated to. I love having something to look at when I go clubbing, and the Chemical Brothers really showed us how this idea of an audio/visual spectacular can really be taken to its furthest extreme.

Smashing through all their hit tracks – Do it Again, Hey Boy Hey Girl, Believe, Out of Control, Burst Generator, Star Guitar, Chemical Beats and Life is Sweet, they also featured a whole load of lesser-known tracks that were drawn form last year’s superb We Are The Night. I had so many awesome memories flooding back to me about all the times I’d enjoyed listening to their albums, and were I was at the time: driving down the Hume Highway with my brother to Melbourne, playing the album over and over before their spectacular Big Day Out Boiler Room show in 2000, uni parties and so forth. So many great memories, and I’ll bet I’m not the only one who had them flowing back to me at this gig!

Leave Home mixed into Block Rockin’ Beats were the final tracks of the show. it was almost a little upsetting because in spite of the fact that the show went for nearly two hours, there were still so many other things I wanted to hear! But the lights came, and we were robbed of an encore in this case. But the show had left me with teary eyes and shivers down my spine: it’s impossible to convey the emotional impact the music and visuals combined has on the audience, and it’s something you’ve just gotta check out for yourself. Daft Punk were the the kings prior to last Friday night, but the Chemical Brothers have well and truly toppled them form their throne. I’m not if anyone could come close to topping them.

I’m so very happy that I went to this gig. I was maybe elss than a devoted fanboy of the Chemical Brothers, but I knew that I had to see them at least once again. And holy moley, it was well worth every single cent spent on a ticket. Their show at Future Music Festival was good, but it really didn’t have the same intimacy and ‘bang’ their sideshow did. I’m going to go as far as to say that this is, and will remain, the gig of the year for 2008.

were you there? Check out this clip for a selection of some of the spectacular visuals that were enjoyed…