Justice played MGM Music Hall – 8/2

French electro duo Justice made a long-awaited return to Boston with support from Braxe + Falcon.

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Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay made their first major splash as Justice with 2007’s genre-busting Cross, an electro-house statement with influences diverse enough to draw fandom and acclaim well beyond the realm of French electronic enthusiasts. Nearly two decades later, the pair are having something of a renaissance, spurred on by their first album since 2016 (Apri’s very solid Hyperdrama) and a world tour that’s brought them to a number of North American cities rarely visited.

Boston’s MGM was one of those stops at the top of the month, and with their last area appearance being a distant memory (a 2012 date across the street at House of Blues), a capacity crowd was on hand to welcome the duo for a triumphant return. As the case has always been with Justice, the show signified a space for rave kids, goths and indie rock types to meet and shake hands on the dance floor in the sort of egalitarian cross-genre crowd you don’t see every day. Whatever your persuasion, the band delivered a show worth the lengthy wait in an immaculately-mixed, visually arresting party.

The setlist delivered the hits, of course, but also remixed, resequenced and otherwise recontextualized them in a dynamic fashion that kept the crowd in the palm of Justice’s collective hand. The lights, meanwhile, had a mind of their own, seeming to rise, fall, slither and morph behind them like an organic entity – an artificial intelligence I could actually get behind. When it was all over, the pair stepped down from their podiums to greet the masses, graciously signing records, posters and at least a couple of shoes for fans who surely hope it won’t be another 12 years til they meet again.

Fellow Frenchmen Braxe + Falcon kicked the night off with a DJ set in a more low-key fashion, but had no trouble getting folks moving ahead of the main event. Check out a few more images from the evening below.