Anders Trentemøller October 10, 2007 Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom Better than: Another by-the-numbers DJ set.
After a fine, extended set by DJ Ivy that dwelt in deep house territory and skirted the techno and progressive neighborhoods, there was a brief pause, a chance to catch your breath and prepare for the main event. Ivy managed the difficult task of amping the crowd up without treading into the headliner’s territory.
After a small break, Trentemøller and his bassist/guitarist and drummer/percussionist complement did a fine job of skirting that ineffable line between rock and roll exuberance and dance music precision. With Trentemøller driving the set from behind an impressive rack of keyboards, computers and effects, and his band filling in the gaps and kicking things to an intense, rock and roll level, the experience was impressive. Melding clean electronic production with the spontaneity and explosive energy of a band, Trentemøller recreated the finest moments of his albums and singles while kicking things up to a new level of energy.
Every groove, every sound was immediately recognizable to fans of his album, but at the same time the three musicians on stage managed to transcend mere reproduction of familiar beats and forge an explosive, of-the-moment sound that captivated the crowd and drove the strong material to new, exciting heights of intensity. Over the course of an hour, the threesome recreated the finest moments of The Last Resort, never straying far from the blueprint laid out on the album but never clinging too closely to a set mold. The result was a fantastic fusion of dance music’s precise clarity with rock’s unhinged energy. After an hour it was all over and if there was anything to complain about it was that it didn’t last longer. -- Cory Casciato
Critic’s Notebook Personal Bias: I loved the album and came ready to be impressed. Random Detail: Some dude on a bunch of drugs asked me my name no less than ten times. By the Way: This was Trentemøller’s first visit to the U.S. If you missed it, hope he returns soon.
