Goldfrapp Bring '80s Vibe to Hollywood Bowl

As part of its summer season, the famed Hollywood Bowl often hosts tribute nights, where acts pay homage to classics. For instance, Cheap Trick performed the Beatles' 'Sgt. Pepper' there and just last week, the venue held a 'Grease' sing-along and ABBA festival.

Goldfrapp's debut performance at the Bowl fit right in, frontwoman Alison Goldfrapp dressed in a short, shimmering gold dress and blond curls, which she later joked was being killed by the humidity. Blowing in the wind under the red lights, it looked exactly like something out of the 1980 cult classic 'Xanadu.'

It's a comparison the frontwoman would probably welcome, as their electropop admittedly owes a lot to the disco era. That fact was unabashedly acknowledged during their 65-minute set, with the ABBA influence coming out during 'Dreaming.'

Golfrapp, made her way through 12 songs backed by a tight four-piece band. If the band was daunted at all by the huge stage of the Bowl, they never showed it, opening with a version of 'Crystalline Green' that won the crowd over from the outset. The group really hit its stride halfway through the set, as two songs from the new 'Head First' album -- the pop-laden 'Believer' and 'Alive' -- had fans dancing in the Bowl aisles.

The show was part of the KCRW-sponsored world music festival, and like their signature program, 'Morning Becomes Eclectic,' the world music nights often celebrate musical diversity, which can lead to some pretty unusual pairings. On this evening, Goldfrapp were supported by the Orquestra Buena Vista Social Club featuring the remarkable Omara Portuondo, a 79-year-old Cuban singer-songwriter. The superior musicians' dazzling Cuban grooves turned the Bowl into a salsa-dancing celebration, with couples jumping out of their box seats to shake their hips.

Together, the very different acts made for a unique and fun celebration of groove-thing shaking, to use a comparison that Goldfrapp would probably appreciate.