After three years since the first time I saw MGMT in concert, I had given up hope that the band would ever come back to Wisconsin. You can imagine how excited I was the day I saw the Facebook ad for a Nov 13 MGMT concert, right here in Madison. $35 later and before I knew it, the day had arrived. The venue was in the Orpheum Theater, which seemed to be the perfect setting for MGMT. By the time the opener Kuroma came on stage, the floor was half full with some people wandering around. Kuroma was an okay opener, but their songs didn’t keep my attention. When MGMT came on, the theater exploded with fans and the vibe of the place was electrifying.

MGMT opened with one of their new songs, “Alien Days.” It didn’t take long for everyone to get into the music. Beyond the main floor, people were standing up and dancing in the balcony seats. A projector provided a psychedelic atmosphere, playing the band’s album download called “The Optimizer,” and other trippy visuals that fit perfectly with each song. There were also the best lighting effects I’ve seen at any concert.

When you add those elements together with the band’s attitude, it couldn’t have gone better. MGMT played songs from all three of their albums, and they didn’t hesitate to go into some of their long “jam sessions” during some of the songs they played. The line-up of the songs was in a nice order, varying from new to old, so it didn’t get boring. The band also played some less popular songs, which was a nice change from their well-known songs, “Time to Pretend,” Kids” and “Electric Feel,” although, they did play all three of those songs during the concert. After seeing MGMT a second time, I can officially say that they are worth seeing not just once, but multiple times.