Last night, The Chainsmokers gave us the first peek at the full, live stage lineup with two keyboardists, a drummer, Alex on keys and synths, and Drew on vocals as a frontman. They performed live on SNL for the first time, something no other EDM act (whether they’ve made the jump to pop or not) has done before.
For the opportunity, they performed their massive hit “Paris,” as well as a new song from the album, “Break Up Every Night.”
The performance for “Paris,” which was first of the night, shows us a couple things. First, The Chainsmokers were absolute geniuses for bringing on Matt McGuire as drummer for their live show because he crushed that performance. Second, SNL’s sound system or method of recording just doesn’t cut it for an electronic-tinged performance. However, Vincent’s team must be absolutely ecstatic that the first drop of the song is from his remix of “Paris.”
As for “Break Up Every Night,” we called it the worst song they’ve ever written in our official review of their album, and that sentiment translates to a live performance, as well. It shows The Chainsmokers’ intent to break away from EDM in full glory, with Drew acting as a pure vocalist frontman, though his voice still needs a lot of work if he’s going to pull that off. Yes, it has a certain quality to it, but there’s room for improvement a plenty. However, once again, we’re stunned with McGuire on drums.
The Chainsmokers embark on their stadium Memories… Do Not Open tour on Thursday.