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M.I.A., Mos Def & Afrikan Boy @ MoMA's Garden Party - pics

photos by Ryan Muir

MIA @ MoMA

M.I.A. played the same benefit that Special Disco Version did on Tuesday night (“to support the Museum’s award-winning educational programs and the care, study, and exhibition of its collection”) (June 10, 2008). M.I.A. also played a much bigger and more public and proper show at McCarren Pool in Brooklyn a few nights earlier. At MoMA, the cheapest ticket was $250.

MIA @ MoMA

I talked to one person who was at MoMA (but not at the black tie dinner that preceeded the dance party). They said…

It was really fun. The venue was spectacular. The show was so incredibly different from McCarren Pool. MIA didn’t start until after 11. I think she’s delightful and has an infectious energy no matter the setting, but this was definitely a performance that was catered to the event and the crowd. No wacky outfits, no political videos, no questions about whether we were choosing money or people, etc. Her mic didn’t seem to be turned up enough, so her vocals sounded muddled at times. She made a comment about elitism that ironically elicited cheers and she asked the crowd if they had an extra $10 to donate to [didn’t catch the cause]. The sightlines kind of sucked for a show with so much movement as there were two large poles on either side of the stage that frequently covered her. I’d say that about 30% of the attendees knew who she was. Again, so different from McCarren.

The crowd was fascinating. Black tie and cocktail dresses. Not my usual scene, obviously, but great people watching.

The stage background was decorated with charts and graphs depicting things like mortality and starvation rates. Like at McCarren, M.I.A. was joined on stage by Afrikan Boy (who told “anybody in the crowd with more than one dollar in they pocket to make some noise”). Unlike at McCarren, M.I.A. was joined on stage by Mos Def. He helped sing “Paper Planes”. More pics from the party HERE and below…..

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And the rest are HERE.

And McCarren Pool ones HERE.