Anyone who looked to their right during Foster The People’s set on Friday would have surely noticed the massive inflatable fox emerging in the distance. As soon as their performance wrapped up, electropop sensation Porter Robinson unleashed his new career-spanning live show at the Miller Lite Stage, making this ACL Weekend One exclusive the only U.S. festival appearance of his SMILE :D World Tour.
Originating as a Skrillex-backed EDM act, Robinson first began revealing the delicate tones of his artistry with his groundbreaking 2014 debut album Worlds, followed up in 2021 by the critically acclaimed Nurture. His third studio album SMILE :D came out in July, retaining the emotional heart of his previous two bodies of work while adding some extra fun. This is reflected beautifully in this new live experience where he plays as part of a stunning five-piece band, a significant departure from his DJ origins.
Embarking on a journey through each stage of his discography, he opened things up with some of the most exciting cuts off of the new album, including “Knock Yourself Out XD” and “Mona Lisa,” as well as my personal favorite track of 2024 so far, “Russian Roulette,” before jumping into high-energy highlights like “Musician” off of Nurture and “Language” from the Worlds era. Plenty more memorable moments followed, such as when he asked the crowd to put their phones down and focus on dancing together before surprising them with an awesome cover of “Kids” by MGMT. There was also a fun appearance by his headline tour support act ericdoa, who played the role of a fan in the audience selected to try playing the “Sad Machine” melody on his glowing orb sampler. As his time came to an end and the sun went down, he treated fans to the perfect pair of songs to end on: the modern classic synthpop hit “Shelter” and the emo-fueled lead single from SMILE :D, “Cheerleader.”
Porter Robinson is my favorite artist at the moment, and I’ve been following his music closely since my introduction to electronic music in middle school. This was my third time seeing him, and it was definitely the most fun I’ve had at one of his shows. I can’t get enough of him, and I’m so excited to be seeing the full two-hour headline set in all its glory in Los Angeles when it stops at the iconic Hollywood Bowl this Friday.
