Where: House of Blues (Boston)
When: June 22, 2012
I’ve never viewed Santigold as a separate entity from M.I.A. They were musical co-conspirators from the start, with the latter being alot more controversial and unpredictable than the former. I thought I’d be able to draw parallels between their live shows (I saw M.I.A. live at Royale in Boston a few years back), and of course, I was right. They both had backup dancers that were almost showstoppers instead of mere eye candy, interesting costume changes, and a knack for pulling audience members onstage to dance and sing along to some of their biggest hits. But both artists possessed different auras when performing live.
Like in her interviews, M.I.A. makes her brattiness and arrogance damn near enviable during her show, since she has an untouchable confidence to transform those seemingly negative traits. Santigold just seemed pleased to merely be on a stage, giggling her way through the salacious ‘Freak Like Me,’ the frenzied ‘Go!,’ and the brazen ‘Creator.’ The audience was having just as much (if not–more) fun than Santigold was, which is always a huge plus when performing in a rather commercial venue like the House of Blues. Although this was my first time Santigold live, I will never make the mistake of comparing her to any other artist on the face of this planet–regardless if they are besties.