Moby Makes Room, Sort of, for Dance DJs, Who Sparkle

As the biggest star to emerge from the rave scene, Moby has never forgotten his dance roots. So while he has David Bowie on the main stage of his Area2 tour, Moby has allotted space for his peers from the dance world to expose the art of the DJ to a new audience.

Though it’s a noble gesture, the setup of the dance tent at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater on Tuesday was surprisingly shoddy. It was thrown over a concrete parking lot, without any chairs or cushions for seating. Nor was there a table or podium for the DJs, preventing most of the fans from seeing them.

Given these circumstances, the DJs are to be commended for their solid, professional sets.

Australia’s Avalanches got things going with a sparkling hourlong mix that ranged from hip-hop to world music and included such tunes as the Police’s “Can’t Stand Losing You” and the intro of Guns N’ Roses’ “Welcome to the Jungle.”

In adapting so well to the tough setting, the DJ duo set a mood that the seemingly infallible DJ Dan picked up and ran with through a nearly two-hour set that started on the progressive side (with large synthesizer hooks) before moving over to disco/house beats.

Holland’s DJ Tiesto, with his Paul Oakenfold-influenced trance grooves, turned in the most crowd-pleasing set, though it didn’t really pick up until halfway through, when he added some vocal tracks for some much-needed warmth.

Headliner John Digweed went on opposite Bowie’s main-stage performance, so the tent was nearly empty at the start. The Englishman carried on, dazzling with a blend of percussive jungle beats, synthesizer hooks and housey female vocals. And by the end of his nearly two-hour performance, the tent was more than half-full again.