« Fireworked Up About the Freedom Festival Schedule | Main | The Bono - Jesse Helms connection »
Last Night: Peter Hook @ Detroit Bar
Posted by Nathan Jackson in Last Night reviews
July 4, 2008 12:21 PM
Permalink | Comments (0)
Last Night: Peter Hook DJing at Detroit Bar, July, 3 2008
There’s usually nothing like watching an aging icon get up in front of an audience at a venue to show us they still got it. You can’t help being drawn in by the powerful sense of tension. You might find your self echoing certain questions in your mind: “Will he suck? Won’t he suck? Will he sign my T-shirt? Did I just waste 15 bucks to get in here?”
So last night, when Peter Hook, former bass player for Joy Division and New Order, took the stage for a DJ set at Detroit Bar, the tension was ripe enough to draw me and many others to the front row. After all, this guy has been all over the world with this act and gigs pretty regularly. He’s got an extensive YouTube file to prove it.
Hook took the stage around midnight, after some heart-pounding, '80s- and '90s-inspired house sets by the cast of Detroit’s Busy Work Wednesdays, including Dan Sena, GMO and DJ Rob. With the crowd already jumping, Hook took over the reins in pretty smooth fashion.
But I’m afraid I’m gonna have to side with the bandwagon of doubters that plague almost every video of Hook at the helm of his untouched turntables. I get the fact that slapping on a pair of cans, twisting a few knobs and posing for the crowd makes him feel like a star in his old age, but not at the expense of $15 a head. I just kept waiting for him to do something besides occasionally swapping out a few pre-mixed CDs in between superficial tweaks of the same EQ knobs.
But despite this, he did manage to get the semi-packed crowd fired up with his stage presence and some gratuitous low-end thumps that left my ears ringing by the time I decided to bounce out of there. I guess what it comes down to is whether you left Detroit with the dose of sweaty club fun you came for. And at the end of the day, Hook will always get a break for his accomplishments in music; this just shouldn’t be one of them.
Critic’s Notebook
Random Detail: It was funny watching some obvious Joy Division fans walking around shaking their heads. What, not the show you expected?
Personal Bias: I kept waiting for Hook to bust out a bass from behind the DJ booth and start rocking out; it never happened.
By the Way: Freedom Fest should be better than this.
Notifications
Archives
Top Orange County News
- Events
- Music
- Dining
- Movies
- Theater
- Arts
Find a Concert
- Sat18
- Sun19
- Mon20
- Tue21
- Wed22
- Thu23
- Fri24
Join My Voice Nation for free stuff, concert and dining info & more!
Print Edition
SpecialIssues
-
Orange County Stories
-
-
National Stories
-
Best Of...
-
MORE INFO >
Best Burrito
El Toro Bravo
Costa Mesa's own tortilla factory and taqueroa griddles carne asada alongside long-cooked slivers of caramelized onion....
-
Mobile
Get the Best Of Mobile App
Find and rate the best of everything in your neighborhood, from eats to places, right in the palm of your hand.Download for : iPhone | Android
Web
Find the best all right here.
-
Voice Places
Find everything you're looking for in your city
-
Happy Hour App
Find the best happy hour deals in your city
-
Daily Deals
Get today's exclusive deals at savings of anywhere from 50-90%
-
Best Of...
Check out the hottest list of places and things to do around your city
- Profile
- Newsletters
- Mobile
- Logout
-
Publishing:
ONOFF
Top Orange County News
- Events
- Music
- Dining
- Movies
- Theater
- Arts
Find a Concert
- Sat18
- Sun19
- Mon20
- Tue21
- Wed22
- Thu23
- Fri24
Join My Voice Nation for free stuff, concert and dining info & more!
Print Edition
SpecialIssues
-
Orange County Stories
-
-
National Stories
-
Best Of...
-
MORE INFO >
Best Burrito
El Toro Bravo
Costa Mesa's own tortilla factory and taqueroa griddles carne asada alongside long-cooked slivers of caramelized onion....
-
Mobile
Get the Best Of Mobile App
Find and rate the best of everything in your neighborhood, from eats to places, right in the palm of your hand.Download for : iPhone | Android
Web
Find the best all right here.
-
Voice Places
Find everything you're looking for in your city
-
Happy Hour App
Find the best happy hour deals in your city
-
Daily Deals
Get today's exclusive deals at savings of anywhere from 50-90%
-
Best Of...
Check out the hottest list of places and things to do around your city
- Profile
- Newsletters
- Mobile
- Logout
-
Publishing:
ONOFF
Top Orange County News
- Events
- Music
- Dining
- Movies
- Theater
- Arts
Find a Concert
- Sat18
- Sun19
- Mon20
- Tue21
- Wed22
- Thu23
- Fri24
Join My Voice Nation for free stuff, concert and dining info & more!
Print Edition
SpecialIssues
-
Orange County Stories
-
-
National Stories
-
Best Of...
-
MORE INFO >
Best Burrito
El Toro Bravo
Costa Mesa's own tortilla factory and taqueroa griddles carne asada alongside long-cooked slivers of caramelized onion....
-
Mobile
Get the Best Of Mobile App
Find and rate the best of everything in your neighborhood, from eats to places, right in the palm of your hand.Download for : iPhone | Android
Web
Find the best all right here.
-
Voice Places
Find everything you're looking for in your city
-
Happy Hour App
Find the best happy hour deals in your city
-
Daily Deals
Get today's exclusive deals at savings of anywhere from 50-90%
-
Best Of...
Check out the hottest list of places and things to do around your city
- Profile
- Newsletters
- Mobile
- Logout
-
Publishing:
ONOFF