Los Angeles hipster hearts filled with warmth and bounce as Cut Copy headlined the most epic dance party at the Hollywood Palladium on Wednesday night. Opening acts Midnight Magic and Washed Out started off the night on the right note, giving people no other option but to move their bodies swiftly to the beat.

For Washed Out, joining the likes of the funky Midnight Magic and über-electro Cut Copy was not as intimidating as expected.  Chillwaver Ernest Greene had a modest start, experimenting with music on his computer in his bedroom in Perry, Georgia. In July, he released Within and Without and launched a tour with band mates Blair, Phil, Cameron, and Ray.  The Palladium was one of Washed Out’s last stops on this tour, so he promised to make it a show worth seeing.  They sounded like a dream.  The melodic vocal hums mixed with the synth board sounds to entrance and mellow out the audience.  After hearing “Feel It All Around” and “Eyes Be Closed,” people were hypnotized.  Bodies swayed to the harmonious scales which kept the mood as light and airy as the sound.  The short, sweet set was the perfect segue into the dance storm that Cut Copy intended to ignite.

These Australian natives have surely made their rounds this year.  From the Coachella Valley music festival to the Pacific Fest in Orange County, they have had plenty of exposure to large audiences.  As seasoned veterans, the boys came prepared to give a performance that was both intoxicating and infectious.  They undoubtedly delivered.

Kicking off the set with “Take Me Over” was the right way to go.  The bouncy bass instantly quenched the eager crowd’s thirst for a dancier tune.  Flashing lights shed a view on a floor filled with bodies in motion and hands waving through the air.  Next they breezed into “Feel the Love,” a familiar song from In Ghost Colours.  And that is not all that was breezing.  As Whitford gestured to each side of the room, encouraging the people to sing along with the call-and-return “oohs,” small puffs of smoke emerged from the crowd.  A familiar herbal-concert aroma dissipated.  The training wheels were off.  Everyone was warmed up.  It was time to dance.

As the entire room began to bob up and down with the soft beat of the song, all that was discernable was a giant wave of arms swinging about in ecstasy.  Alternating smoothly between Zonoscope and fan favorites from Colours, they jammed through “Hanging onto Every Heartbeat” and “Corner in the Sky.”  During the African-inspired tribal beats in the beginning of Corner, Dan demanded “Let’s dance,” a familiar tagline of his for the night.

Blasting the crowd with “Lights and Music” proved to be a literal experience.  No need to ask.  If not for anything else, the audience was there specifically to see flashing lights, hear upbeat music, and dance the night away.  Cut Copy kept the rapturous mood going with poppy numbers like “Pharaohs and Pyramids” and “Hearts on Fire.”  By the end of the night, even the balcony was in motion.  They rounded out the show playing “Where I’m Going” and “Need You Now” as an encore, leaving the set on a light note. 

Sadly, Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco are the last stops on their North American tour.  This weekend, they venture to the bay area to play with the likes of Empire of the Sun and Chromeo at the Treasure Island Music Festival.  Yes, the Palladium’s dance party was epic and will be a challenge to surpass; but perhaps Treasure Island’s dance party will just be the Palladium’s on steroids.