On July 30, 2010 Spiritualized took the stage of Radio City Music Hall to perform their classic 1997 album Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space in its entirety, backed by an eight-piece string orchestra, horn section, and gospel choir. The only performance of its kind to be performed stateside, this concert allegedly was the last time any of the songs from Ladies and Gentlemen… were to be heard live this side of the Atlantic. Truly a once-in-a-lifetime event, the heightened sense of emotion evoked from the impeccably scored arrangements and orchestration, larger-than-life lightshow, and the magical environment that is Radio City Music Hall took an album already wrought with emotional intensity and beamed it up to uncharted levels.

From the familiar robotic voice that opened up the song “Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space” as the curtains rose, it was immediately apparent that this was the way the album was always meant to be performed. Having seen Spiritualized once previously — on a headlining tour promoting Ladies and Gentlemen… in 1997, and again at Radio City Music Hall supporting Radiohead on their OK Computer tour — hearing the songs performed with an orchestra was a completely different experience from that of the typical guitar/keyboards/bass/drums lineup. From the bellowing horns that make “Come Together” the rock-out anthem it is, to the requiem-like strings on “Broken Heart”, the instrumentation was as exquisitely executed as it is on the album.

As close as the performance was to the original album’s orchestration, Jason Pierce and co. were definitely able to take some liberties with some of the songs’ arrangements. The first song, the canon-like “Ladies and Gentlemen…” was cleverly interjected with the lyrics from Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love”. Elaborating upon the jazz influence of songs such as “Cop Shoot Cop” and “The Individual,” these songs in performance were developed into epic improvisational sonic sonatas with perfectly dissonant instrumentation. The largess of the sound gave the strong bass lines of “Cop Shoot Cop” an added element as the entire theater started vibrating giving the phrase “Come on, come together” a whole new meaning. However enjoyable an extended version of a well-loved song can be, the extended electronic fury of “Electricity” just seemed like a guitar-pedal wank-off with strobe lights for added effect, illustrating the fine line between dissonance and noise.

Not knowing what to expect in terms of an encore — “Will there be one? What will they play?” were the questions of the night — the audience was treated to the orchestral track “Out of Sight” from their 2001 album Let it Come Down and the gospel standard “Oh Happy Day.” The choice of encores was interesting given that the first encore showcased the talents of the instrumentalists on stage, and the second was obviously more focused on the choir. Both were astounding representations of each song, inspiring the audience to savor every note.

Above all else, it was the warm and fuzzy feeling that initially made us all fall in love with Ladies and Gentlemen… 13 years ago that prevailed that night at Radio City Music Hall. Sitting in a magical theater watching a little spaceman dressed in white, singing along to tales of long lost loves and broken hearts was like getting an aural hug from an old beloved friend. Ladies and gentlemen, we are floating in space.