MGMT's Halloween 'Spectacular'

PHOTOS BY JULIA NORMAN

No matter how you celebrate Halloween, it's definitely a freak show. Last night (Oct. 31), townies and students were one in the same, showing off spooky standards (witches, zombies, and monsters, oh my!) and pop culture cornerstones ranging from PacMan to Flight of the Conchords (as robots of course) and enough dead-on celebrity train-wreck impersonators like Brit-Brit and Wino that'd put Los Angeles to shame. Fanfare aside, the 'kids' really came out to cheer on MGMT at the popular college dwelling, the 40 Watt.

Despite having a heavy underground following in the Classic City, MGMT relied mostly on tunes from their forthcoming Columbia label debut Oracular Spectacular. The high-spirited duo, who were just as decked out in costume as the dedicated concertgoers flocked to the front, donned a less expected psychedelic bent, playing standouts like "Weekend Wars" and "The Youth." Stage-to-ceiling screens showcasing images by Athens visionary Eddie Whelan also flanked their near 40-minute set.

While they said very little, their dance-tastic tunes spoke volumes, surprising the enthusiastic array of fans with less electro-psych shuffle and more guitar graces flowered by falsetto. That was until MGMT finally forayed with their first single, "Time to Pretend" -- an understated anthem among inhabitants of Athens. Principal songwriters Ben Goldwasser and Andrew Vanwyngarden sang, "I'm feeling rough / I'm feeling raw / I'm in the prime of my life," followed by screams and an eruption of energy on the 40 Watt floor. It was an outrageous occasion to kick off their cross-country cavorting with Of Montreal -- and while MGMT is still slowly shaping their stage craft, their vision is clear -- now let's have some fun.

We asked: On their Time to Pretend EP, MGMT shines on the track "Kids." What was your favorite Halloween costume as a kid?

Name: Jackie O'Brien
Age: 22
Hometown: Atlanta, GA
Occupation: Student
"Cleopatra -- with the black wig!"

Name: Mary Katherine Youngblood
Age: 22
Hometown: Williamsburg, VA
Occupation: Student
"I was a serial killer. I walked around with a knife stabbed in a cereal box!"