Unless you were one of the lucky few to catch Phoenix at Madison Square Garden when Daft Punk just showed up and surprised the world, the last time Daft Punk performed live was 2007, when the Alive 2007 tour not only amazed the world, but earned them a Grammy. Now, it looks like they’re attempting to get their show on the road once again, but their first idea to perform since then seems to be dead on arrival. From the article in the Rapid City Journal:
“No event is going to be occurring in Devils Tower,” Robinson said. “Anything that was proposed is a non-starter, is considered an adverse action according to the National Historic Preservation Act, and goes against the Park Service management approach.”
Essentially, Daft Punk wanted to throw a huge party with sweet lasers at the base of the Devil’s Tower National Monument. 50,000 people and the whole nine yards when it comes to their post-Random Access Memories debut. Sadly, the Park Service disagreed and after being reminded that 24 different Indian tribes consider the grounds sacred, their plans for reuniting in the place where the movie “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” happened. Additionally, if you were there in 2007, you heard them using the theme from the movie’s soundtrack. This could have been something really special, but we’ll just have to wait & see what they do next!
UPDATE: Pitchfork has confirmed that these rumors are false. Daft Punk was never involved with this concert. The agency that submitted the proposal, ICM Partners, does not represent Daft Punk.
Here is the statement from ICM:
ICM Partners approached the National Park Service regarding an event which would be held on private property but would include proposed lighting elements at Devils Tower. The agency submitted more than a dozen suggested performers, including Daft Punk, as a sample lineup to the National Park Service. As is the usual case with a music festival, the acts proposed were simply performers and not involved with the planning of this event.
via Rapid City Journal, Image by GQ)
