On February 5th, 2011, not even a year after the release of LCD Soundsystem's most successful record yet, "This Is Happening," an announcement was made that they would be breaking up after one last show at Madison Square Garden on April 2nd, 2011. The result was one epic, four-hour, sold out show in the famous NYC arena. Shut Up and Play the Hits, a documentary film directed by Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace, follows front-man James Murphy from the day of the show to the day after while mixing in highlights from the show and a one-on-one interview with Murphy. The film premiered in January at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival.
As a long-time fan I was sort of hoping for more of a retrospective of the bands career rather than just a film about their last show. However the interview with Murphy does answer some key questions, like why the band called it quits at the height of their popularity. It is also interesting to catch a glimpse of the back stage scene as well as the band's reaction to the show. However the majority of the documentary is footage from the final show. The makeup of Shut Up and Play the Hits is about 70% concert footage, 15% interview, and 15% random footage throughout the 48-hour time frame.
I am not complaining at all. The live footage is pretty great, and the sound quality is exceptional. Though at times I would have liked to see less of the crowd dancing in slow motion and more of the actual performance. There are also appearances by Reggie Watts and Arcade Fire.
There is nothing better than having high-quality, great sounding video footage of one of your favorite bands playing live and whether you loved LCD Soundsystem since the very beginning or have never heard of them and want a proper introduction, Shut Up and Play the Hits is definitely worth the $5 rental on iTunes.
7/10 LCD Soundsystems
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