Air performs at the Masonic in San Francisco on Oct. 2, 2024. Mariana Garcia/STAFF.

SAN FRANCISCO — Science fiction writer William Gibson once wrote, “The future is already here, it’s just not evenly distributed.” But quite a bit of the future seemed to be present at the Masonic when the French duo Air performed its debut 1998 album, Moon Safari, Wednesday night. Clad entirely in white, Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoit Dunckel appeared with a drummer on a spare stage framed by a white rectangle, within which all manner of lighting effects created a visually stunning backdrop for the futuristic music.

It was a strange kind of future being evoked on stage, though: part space-age utopia that still seems light years away, and part slinky retro future too groovy to foresee the environmental collapse and cognitive decline that have marked the 21st century. Nevertheless, the band managed to evoke the atmosphere of Tangerine Dream, the funky grooves of CAN and the symphonic psychedelia of Pink Floyd.

Over a wash of synthesizers, Godin laid down the iconic bass line from Moon Safari‘s opening track, “La femme d’argent,” to raucous cheers from the largely seated audience. Stationed at an array of keyboards and synthesizers and wearing a white suit coat, Dunckel played the opening track’s melody on an electric piano. The song grew into a jam quite a bit longer than the album version with Godin firing off an extended overdriven bass solo.

Air performs at the Masonic in San Francisco on Oct. 2, 2024.

When Dunckle and Godin addressed the crowd after the first few songs, the assembled mass, which at some points was as motionless as a movie audience, cheered so loudly that it drowned out the duo onstage. During the band’s biggest hit, the cloying “Sexy Boy,” and more upbeat tracks like “All I Need” and “Kelly Watched the Stars,” many danced in place.

At times, with both members of the band manning large banks of electronics, it was difficult to determine what was being played live and what was prerecorded. Some of the feminine-sounding vocals from the album were supplied by backing tracks, including Beth Hirsch’s vocals on “Kelly Watched the Stars.” Others seemed to be produced by Godin and Dunckle with the assistance of audio wizardry. The iconic robotic vocals on “Remember” were created using a vocoder that blended Godin’s voice with a synthesizer. This sonic blending of man and machine was used to great effect by both musicians throughout the show.

Air performs at the Masonic in San Francisco on Oct. 2, 2024.

Visually, the band’s background changed with every song, from the video game “Pong” and video glitches during “Kelly Watched the Stars” to abstract red blobs and lots of smoke during the instrumental “Talisman.” Later, clouds on the screen and smoke on stage would blend together amid strobing lights.

After playing Moon Safari in its entirety the duo came back to perform a set of songs from its other albums. The meat of the second set was comprised of three songs from 2004’s Talkie Walkie, including “Cherry Blossom,” “Run” and “Venus.” On the last of the three, the background became a spaceship window slowly passing Jupiter and other planets before traveling faster than the speed of light through a crowded star field.

“You could be from Venus/ I could be from Mars/ We would be together/ Lovers forever/ Care for each other,” Godin and Dunckle sang.

After the second set, the duo again stood together at center stage as the crowd cheered wildly for an encore. Ultimately, Air returned to play “Alone in Kyoto” from the “Lost in Translation” soundtrack and a rocking version of “Electronic Performers” from 2001 album 10 000 Hz Legend.

Earlier in the evening, DJ Rachel Aiello, clad in black, swayed at the DJ booth while she spun records as the audience filed into the theater.

After the show, outside in the warm October air, driverless cars and Cybertrucks jockeyed for position in crowded San Francisco intersections. The future was suddenly everywhere.

Follow photographer Mariana García at Instagram.com/marianagphoto.