Generally speaking, when I leave a concert I’m elated. For music-enthusiasts like myself, experiencing live music is unparalleled; an addiction with cravings only temporarily fulfilled. I usually leave a concert needing more music. For the first time in a long time, I left a concert this past weekend not needing anything, feeling entirely fulfilled.
After wandering through tropes of tourists dowtown I arrived at the Deltron 3030 show at, what I assumed, would be unfashionably late. Greeted by a warm and inviting Soundstage bouncer I found that the band was running late and the show was delayed, making this the one time in my life arriving late proved beneficial.
Gracing Baltimore with their infamous presence Deltron the Funky Homosapien, Dan the Automator, Kid Koala, and a full band, were so tight and inspiring, they encouraged all but a few lame dudes to uncross their arms and dance all night. I want to use a ridiculous hyperbole here, but I can’t even exaggerate enough to describe how much awesome this show created.
Kid Koala spinning.
Kid Koala opened to an undeservedly under-packed crowd that didn’t diffuse his dedication to his tables. Stealing the show sans modern DJing devices, Kid Koala spun with only his vinyl in an awe-inspiring choreographed set. Working up a sweat, not only did he spin jams so smoothly that it was impossible to say “no!” to the groove, Kid Koala managed to engage the crowd in a Yo-Gabba-Gabba dance instruction that captured everyone’s inner 5-year-old. While the rest of his set included the diverse sounds of Slayer, Audrey Hepburn’s “Moon River” and The White Stripes, Kid Koala was enlightening and eclectic – everything you could possibly want in a DJ. But most impressively, Kid Koala was endearing, proudly playing his daughter’s and mother’s favorite songs, it was refreshing to see so much enthusiasm sparked amongst the crowd by unabashed honesty at a hip-hop show. Kid Koala humbly finished his set, having successfully warmed up the crowd.
At this point I was still craving more, feeling like I could dance the whole night away with all the strangers around me, admiring how effortless Kid Koala made his set seem. I was inspired, itching for Deltron to start.
Once the lights dimmed Deltron 3030 opened with, “Positive Contact,” Del was on point, his flow as smooth as the beer itself. With his incredible energy and lyricism, Del’s words crept into the souls of the audience, swarming goosebumps up our arms and down to our toes. The entire show was a multi-sensory experience that made each song feel like it’s own individual concert. Del jump kicked. Dan loomed over the crowd stoic and commanding. Kid Koala continued to spin, stealing the show on several occasions. Breathing new, seasoned-life into the room, Deltron even got audiences involved in new material like it had been out as long as their album from 2000. The setlist was perfect. Each song an individual, intuitive, adventure captured by the beat and the crowd moving as one.
Dan the Automator
Waiting for the encore, I felt like I had seen it all, wanting, but not needing more. I hadn’t prepared myself for what I was about to feel. Ingeniously Deltron 3030 encored with, “Clint Eastwood,” setting the crowd on fire, we all screamed our hearts out, I had never dreamed I’d be seeing or hearing this song live. Feeling at peace by the last bars, the final notes left me so grateful and motivated, consoled by the music, ecstatic to have shared this experience with everyone around me.
That night everyone had rhythm, and that my friend, is not a fallacy.
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