M.I.A. leaves Lawrence hot and bothered

While Wilco winded down their sentimental set on the tenth block of New Hampshire in Lawrence, there was a completely different energy stirring a few blocks North at Liberty Hall. M.I.A., the Sri Lankan hip-hop pixie beloved by Indie music fans the world over, was also in town.

The sold out Liberty Hall was packed with twenty-somethings, most of which were decked out in neon clothing, face paint, feathers or some combination of the three. M.I.A. didn’t have an opening band, so her DJ mixed some tracks to get the crowd going.

And it was hot, both literally and figuratively. By the time he had finished, the air in the pit was stuffy and humid and the crowd was a sweaty mass of humanity, moving in unison to a pulsing, sexual beat. It was exactly how I imagine Sri Lanka, only without the occasional tsunami or civil war.

M.I.A. took her sweet time getting to the stage, but when she finally did she didn’t waste a moment as she launched into “Bamboo Bavga,” the opening track off of “Kala” and she spent the next hour rapping, grinding, singing, running the length of the stage several times over and straddling the speakers for even more suggestive behavior. As a performer she was a ball of neon, animal-printed, kinetic, sexual energy and it was a sight to behold.

The highlight of the “Kala”-heavy set was definitely M.I.A.’s invitation for the ladies, and eventually the men, to dance onstage. The scores of sweaty men and women getting down to her mix of tribal drums, 80s rock and punk samples and her carefully disguised, global-conscious lyrics summed up, not just the show, but M.I.A. in general.

That said, the show was not without its hiccups. The audio suffered at times, most notably during “Dollar” where feedback overwhelmed M.I.A.’s vocals on several occaisions. The show was too short even with its meager encore, especially considering she went on more than an hour after she was scheduled to debut. While this most likely affected the wallflowers and back-of-the-room spectators, anyone in the pit or the first two rows of mezzanine seating was too entranced to care.