The Black Eyed Peas kicked off their long-awaited The E.N.D. World Tour last night (02/04) at the Phillips Arena in Atlanta.

The tour is in support of their massively successful album of the same name, which picked up a boatload of awards for the group this past Sunday at the Grammys.

BEP took fans into the future with eye-catching costumes, dazzling lights, high flying stunts, and their signature brand of hip-hop laced pop tunes. Ludacris and LMFAO got the crowd warmed up before handing it over to Fergie, will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo.

The Peas were inspired by U2, who they opened for last year. “When people see this show, they will see us going for spectacle and showing what we can do,” said Fergie. “This is where we’re going as a group.” By the way: the singer’s all-in-one costume, emblazoned with computer circuitry, made her look like a digital character in Tron, the 1982 sci-fi movie.

The group have already performed in Japan, Australia and New Zealand, as well as a gig in Las Vegas for New Year’s Eve, but this was in fact the band’s first show in support of the official world tour.

Taboo said: “For us, it’s something we’ve never had before. There’s a little bit of choreography in a couple of songs with the dancers we have. It’s a little bit more of a spectacle. Four people on stage jumping around, it was great energy and we won people over for many years. But we felt the fans, the ‘Peabodies’, deserved a better performance and a better presentation with this tour.”

The concert (by Spin Magazine): LMFAO took the stage first and immediately established the fact this was more of a party than a concert. “Where are all my alcoholics at?!” was met with a big cheer, despite the fact it wasn’t even 8 P.M. The lighthearted, groove-happy duo serenaded the crowd via auto-tune, subbed Atlanta into “I’m in Miami, Bitch,” and had back-up dancers that included kids bizarrely dressed up in Lego costumes.

If LMFAO turned the room into a bash, Ludacris transformed it into a club. A superstar in his own right, homeboy blasted rap over a slew of thumping hits, including “Southern Hospitality,” “Money Maker,” and “Pimpin’ All Over the World,” evoking sights and sounds from Atlanta’s raging club scene circa 2002. “I love y’all Atlanta. Hey y’all might remember this one,” he spouted, before launching into “What’s Your Fantasy.”

While the capacity crowd was certainly partial to their local superstar, there’s no question who they were there to see.

The Black Eyed Peas’ setup resembled an awards show, decked in LCD screens, catwalks, underlit runways, and a perched stage for the live band. Multiple hologram faces hovered above the crowd; “Welcome to the end,” said one in a static-y voice. The group, dressed in what looked like military outfits made out of a disco ball, rose through stage floor amid smoke and laser beams.

Launching into “Let’s Get Retarded,” the Peas bounced about the stage while the sheer size of the production knocked you on your ass: Every flat surface was a screen blinding with hyper-colors, the sound seemed to come at you from all angles, dancers dressed as transformer speakers marched along perfectly in sync. It felt like being transplanted into a sci-fi movie or that scary boat ride in the original Willy Wonka.

“Welcome to our first night of our world tour,” Taboo exclaimed. “And what better place to get it started than Atlanta!”

Not surprisingly, the group wasted little time getting to the crowd pleasers, pummeling through “Rock Your Body,” “My Humps,” and “Don’t Phunk with my Heart.” The showmanship was one part theatrical (members flying through the air) and one part predictable (banter seemingly already rehearsed and already stale).

But 30 minutes into the two-hour set, Will.I.Am showed he could bring it old school, as he rapped spontaneously with lines that fans had texted him, tackling topics as they appeared on the giant screens… all while getting the band to speed up the tempo as he went. It was impressive, no matter which side of the “love ‘em, hate ‘em” pop debate you are on.

Later, the four members each took a solo turn. Apl.de.ap tossed his mic mid-song to breakdance, Taboo spit game as he rode through the air on a space-age motorcycle suspended from the ceiling, and Fergie solicited sing-a-longs from “Fergulicious,” “Glamorous,” and “Big Girls Don’t Cry.”

“Do you mind if I turn this arena into a motherfuckin’ club tonight?!” was Will.I.Am’s solo intro. Mixing and mashing Michael Jackson, Nirvana, and House of Pain, he threw the crowd into a frenzy of fist pumping, dancing, and jumping up and down. It was a perfect way to re-energize a crowd with the rarely-used tactic of blasting other people’s music.

“This feels a little bit like the first day of school,” said Fergie genuinely. The group, after a third or fourth costume change, reunited to close the show with the punky-athem “Now Generation” and borderline-cheesy sing-along “Where is the Love.”

While it was certainly sensory overload at times — sight, sound, and even social media fused into an overwhelming and extreme production — the Black Eyed Peas know their place among mainstream pop culture. They push the boundaries of what it means to be one of the top-selling acts in music today.