Exactly 11 years ago today, on November 11th, 2011, MGMT performed at New York City’s famed Guggenheim Museum. The performance was the second of two consecutive evenings of performances at the visually appealing museum. Recorded during those concerts on November 10th and 11th, 2011, “11.11.11” is a newly released live album documenting the exhibition. The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum approached MGMT’s Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser in Spring 2011 to craft a set of music for the Maurizio Cattelan retrospective titled All.
The band wrote the all-original music as a reaction to the 130 pieces in the exhibit and performed it at both private and public events at the Guggenheim in November 2011. According to press materials, “MGMT’s live production featured a variety of LED lighting strips (a technology that was cutting edge at the time) lining the entire legendary spiral to the top of the museum.” The performances were also notable for being the “first time the Guggenheim had ever allowed art to be suspended from the ceiling” and “an event like this to take place amid the inner ring of the spiral.”
“We’re creating a musical experience that works for the building and for the construction and presentation of the Cattelan exhibit,” MGMT said back in 2011. “It’s an art exhibit done in a completely original way, so it deserves music which is completely original.”
The Fat Angel Sings 