Music
Tiesto Hartford Review
Tiesto Hartford 2008
Review by Irene Test
When a DJ attracts enough people that the atmosphere of the venue is more like a concert than a nightclub, how does a critic review the show? As a concert-club hybrid? The fact is, dance music has been attracting large crowds since the days of disco in the ‘70s and again in 1988, with Depeche Mode’s massive Concert for the Masses Tour. This time around, however, the musician – Tiesto in this case – is using turntables and a mixing desk instead of synthesizers and a drum machine. Perhaps, given by the amount of people in attendance, the DJ has finally earned some respect.
On a purely musical level, electronic dance music is about the beat – thudding downbeats, syncopation, and contrasting, simultaneous rhythm – and less about melody. Typically, Tiesto is a trance DJ, which, unlike house, is less heavy on the downbeats and focuses more on syncopation and rhythmic displacement. However, this is Hartford, which attracts more well-known house DJs (David Dresden was one of the opening acts) and Tiesto seemed to cater to that notion. The rendition of “In the Dark,” for example, was based on the Dirty South remix – which is more of a house track than Tiesto’s original song – with some minor tweaking.
But the question “Is it house or is it trance?” is irrelevant. Rather, does Tiesto’s show support his status as the world’s Number One DJ? The answer is positive, for, even minus alcohol, the set was of interest, pushing and pulsating on seamlessly.
If this were a true concert review, the setlist would be significant but, because any DJ is essentially rooted in a club setting, breaks between the songs are superfluous. Nevertheless, if the playlist seems more like a medley of the greatest hits to a different beat, the audience is left wondering, “What fancy mixing work has he done?”
The only thing Tiesto left the crowd guessing about was how the rhythm and melody were going to mutate next, with each notable track separated by lots of electronic beats and samples. Is it appropriate to call Tiesto’s set a sonic orgy of rhythms? Probably.
The opening acts were Randy Boyer, Kered & Kiraly, Second Sun, and David Dresden. The show started late and Boyer’s and Kered & Kiraly’s sets were compressed into an hour but with some surprises. If you’ve ever thought 1994’s hit by Smashing Pumpkins, “Disarm,” a far cry from the dance floor, Boyer’s mixing of the song might make you consider.
Second Sun and David Dresden prepared the crowd for Tiesto, paving ahead with two sets heavy on house beats. Second Sun’s sound, although live, seemed scattered and, at times, repetitive, relying on vocals to differentiate the tracks. But, even in 2008, electronic music is still difficult to replicate live, losing much of the concentrated, focused sound from the studio and succumbing to intonation issues, but, in terms of being a warm-up act, Second Sun set up the audience the audience for what was yet to come.
David Dresden’s set was what one would expect from an experienced house DJ, and it segued smoothly into the night’s main attraction. But, with such attention being paid to the DJ by a large crowd, perhaps it’s time that this type of music be taken seriously – and not as some man-made electronic beats for chilling out or dancing.
Related:
