RJD2 at Cervantes
Today Wayward Panties guest contributor Kelly Yaker chimes in with her thoughts of RJD2’s show at Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom last weekend.
I have been a pretty big fan of RJD2 ever since I listened to Deadringer. His effortless transitions have always impressed me, as has his ability to sample obscure albums and turn them into danceable beats. So when I was given the opportunity to see him play at Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom, I jumped at the chance.
The doors opened at 8 PM and in true me fashion, I arrived promptly at 9 PM. Luckily, there are people in this world that run slightly later than yours truly and the concert did not get started until 10 PM. I spent an hour sitting in an empty room, drinking a beer and staring, transfixed at what I believe to be the world’s largest disco ball.
The stage was unassuming with a sheet and psychedelic art adorning the walls and when RJD2 took the stage his performance began in a similar style. There was no grandiose introduction. No fidgeting around on the stage. Just an ordinary, medium statured white guy dropping some big ass beats.
One of the great things about seeing a DJ in concert is the fact that nothing is exactly scripted. There is no set playlist for a DJ. I couldn’t tell you what my favorite song was because RJD2 spun all new beats throughout his set. He mixed funk, pop, hip hop, disco and jazz seamlessly to a room full of an unlikely audience of hippies that had come to see the other band playing that night, Particle.
A guy I talked to before the show started described Particle as “A jam band you can break dance to.” And while I didn’t see anyone doing the Worm, I will say the band definitely melded jam band melodies with techno danceability.
Neither Particle nor RJD2 seemed to be intimidated by a crowd that seemed less apt to break it down and more likely to toke up. While it seemed to me that it was no small feat that both of the performers got the audience to drop their hackey sacks and get down and boogie, both musicians made it seem like a cake walk.