Phoenix, Passion Pit Light Up NYC's Central Park

If you build an indie dream team, they will come. Or so it seemed Friday night at New York City's Central Park, where Parisian rockers Phoenix and Boston's Passion Pit played the sold-out first evening of a two-night engagement.

Passion Pit, dressed in their best school attire, kicked the evening off with a rousing performance, featuring a bevy of songs from their album, 'Manners.' And lest we mention Passion Pit frontman Michael Angelakos' high-pitched croon. "We would like to dedicate this next song to our friends in Phoenix," Angelakos announced, before screaming "No!" as the wrong sample opened the tune. Fortunately, the band found the right track and launched into a rousing rendition of 'Little Secrets.' The crowd showed its appreciation by lobbing concert souvenirs at the stage. "Glow sticks in Central Park?" Michael marveled. "I like it!"

The glow sticks stuck around for Phoenix. who launched into their set with the single 'Lisztomania,' and ran through a set that only took pause to dramatically emphasize instrumental breaks within songs. The performance was punctuated by a cover of Air's 'Playground Love' during the first encore, with frontman Thomas Mars' partner, director Sofia Coppola, looking on.

Thomas later scrambled to the top of one of the stage's massive speakers and closed the set by bounding off the stage into a sea of New York fans. Fortunately, he had an extra long extension cord for his microphone.