SHOW REVIEW: RJD2

by | Feb 16, 2011 | MUSIC

RJD2 with AudioAmmo
Thursday February 10 at The Canal Club

Four turntables, mp mixer, and a shit ton of vinyl records. That was the scene onstage at the Canal Club last Thursday night. The show had been highly anticipated for weeks, since the announcement that RJD2 was coming. It was cold as hell that night, but that didn’t stop the eager awaiting crowd that poured in by the hundreds. Audio Ammo opened for RJ at around 10:30 and got the crowd going apeshit as they have done so many times before. An hour later it was packed from front to back, and the energy was tremendous.


RJD2 with AudioAmmo
Thursday February 10 at The Canal Club

Four turntables, mp mixer, and a shit ton of vinyl records. That was the scene onstage at the Canal Club last Thursday night. The show had been highly anticipated for weeks, since the announcement that RJD2 was coming. It was cold as hell that night, but that didn’t stop the eager awaiting crowd that poured in by the hundreds. Audio Ammo opened for RJ at around 10:30 and got the crowd going apeshit as they have done so many times before. An hour later it was packed from front to back, and the energy was tremendous.

RJD2 walked on close to 11:45 to a roar. People did not realize that they were about to get their asses kicked. His fingers grazed the turntables a few minutes later and the place went BONKERS. Yes I said bonkers, for there is no other way to describe the intensity that vibrated from the speakers to the crowd. The guy is a machine that just keeps spinning and spinning. He had an endless bag of records which he kept returning to throughout the course of the night.

Electronic mixed with hip hop and soul filled the Canal Club for over an hour and a half. After finishing his last track and saying his thank you’s, he quietly walked backstage. Everyone began chanting “more, more, more” and a minute later he was back out for an encore. He played 3 more tracks and finally said his goodbye’s and told everyone he would be in the back for pictures and merchandise. He got swamped, and couldn’t return to the stage to pack up for at least 20 minutes.

“I don’t have roadies,” he said with a smile on his face as he packed up his merchandise and equipment. He really is a one man army, but you can tell that also makes him extremely humble. People were giving him compliments and handshakes all the way to his car. “I have to be in Athens, GA tomorrow for a show, and then Tallahassee, FL after that.” He got into his rental and left shortly after to get some rest before his early flight.

A more in depth interview with RJD2 will be featured in the upcoming print issue.

Marilyn Drew Necci

Marilyn Drew Necci

Former GayRVA editor-in-chief, RVA Magazine editor for print and web. Anxiety expert, proud trans woman, happily married.




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