Palomosa 2026: Doss Makes the People Come Together
by Helena Palmer
Despite Palomosa being undeniably targeted to the chronically online, Doss’ set really felt like she was bringing the people together, back to real life, back to feeling real things. She played later on in the evening, and everybody’s booze + other had kicked in by this point, so people were mingling in the crowd, dancing with strangers, handing out cigarettes. It was a warm night made warmer by all the moving bodies.
Her set was made up of club, party-girl music, mixing in her own songs including my personal fav “Look.”
The standout point in the set was when she played Madonna’s “Music.” Hundreds of people dancing along as Madonna’s voice soars over a bassy 4×4 beat, singing “music makes the people come together.” And it literally does. Despite clubby music being repetitive and simplistic, there’s something so pure and sincere about the way we react to it. If you’re feeling tired or sad, get dancing to some Doss, and you’re sure to forget about all of it. )
The reality of seeing a band that you love do a DJ set is that you probably don’t want to see them do a DJ set. I’ve been a fan of MGMT for over a decade, seeing them live 10 years ago was completely moving and I still rate it as one of the best live shows I’ve ever been to. I know artists are allowed to evolve and take up new hobbies, but I don’t know why Palomosa or the artists themselves insist on having awesome artists do DJ sets instead of live performances. Maybe it’s just me and my personal preferences, but not everyone has to be a DJ.
Did I dance? Sure. But there was nothing particularly noteworthy about the music they were playing. I wasn’t able to lose myself in it like I had at the previous sets I had been to.
I know MGMT’s whole thing is that they sort of started as a joke, making incredible music veiled under persistent irony. They became big in the 2010s and the music they played last night did have a sort of LMFAO sheen to it (whether or not they actually played LMFAO, I’m not sure, but you get the point). So maybe they were doing something ironic or working on a vibe that I just didn’t ‘get’. Either way, it was a bit of a disappointing end to the night.
