Unearthed Footage of MGMT Performing ‘Kids’ in 2003 is Wholesome AF

Even the biggest bands in the world have to start somewhere, and MGMT started on the quad in college. Recently, footage went viral of MGMT’s Andrew VanWyngarden and Benjamin Goldwasser performing for friends at Wesleyan University in 2003, and it’s unbearably wholesome.

Consequence of Sound reports that, back then, VanWyngarden and Goldwasser were going by The Management. The pair had just formed their band one year earlier, in 2002, and it would still be about 4 more years before they would drop their debut album, Oracular Spectacular, in 2007. The footage was uploaded to YouTube by a user named Rad Scientist, who explained that they discovered the footage “on an old drive” which they’d previously thought was “gone forever.”

There is just so much to love about the throwback college gig performance. VanWyngarden and Goldwasser are clearly having a great time — even stopping for a tree-branch swordfight at one point — and the crowd is really into them. Interestingly, during the set, the two performed an early version of “Kids,” which was the third single from their debut album and is, arguably, their most recognizable song to date.

In addition to “Kids,” the set also included: “Money to Burn,” which was on MGMT’s 2005 demo album Climbing to New Lows; “One of the Smartest Apes in the World,” sung by their friend Mike; “Funky Legal Beats,” a mash-up of radio samples and a dialysis report; “I Amand a cover of Talking Heads’ “This Must Be the Place.”

Fast forward to now, MGMT has released a total of five full-length studio albums, including 2024’s Loss of Life, and has built an incredibly dedicated fanbase of millions. And to think, it all started with a couple of microphones and a handful of supportive friends.