Since her debut in 2010, Grimes has commanded everyone’s attention in the world of synth-pop and experimental music. Her 2012 album “Visions” was met with critical praise, and her blossoming popularity was evident by the sold-out crowd at Union Transfer on Thursday night. We got there about ten minutes before the first of three bands came on stage, and already people were pressing up against the stage. The first two sets, Myths and Elite Gymnastics, were plagued with technical difficulties. The projector kept displaying Windows error messages on stage, which led to a lot of awkward banter from the performers. Between Elite Gymnastics and Grimes was about a 45-minute wait, and it was pretty obvious that the stage crew was confused about what they were supposed to be doing. The troubles extended into Grimes’ first song, during which one of her synthesizers fell off its stand. But after that, Grimes, like any great DJ, made us all forget and just want to dance. Unlike some “press play” DJs, Grimes messed with the keys and adjusted dials and pedals in real time, while still dancing for the entire show. In fact, it’s almost hard to believe her complete ignorance of music theory when watching the ease with which she controlled her equipment. Crowd-pleasers like “Genesis” and “Oblivion” brought hands to the air while the too-cool-for-school twenty-somethings bobbed their heads with their backs to the wall. Anyone who loves a dance party atmosphere—or very, very out-there band merch—should try to catch a Grimes show as soon as possible.

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