Concert Fri Oct 02 2009

Review: Moby @ The Vic

By Lisa White

Touring with a full backing band for the first time since 2005, Moby came through Chicago Wednesday night to take the sold-out audience at The Vic on a trip through his musical history, from early electro raver cuts to his latest shimmering pop gems. If you're only familiar with the mass amount of hits from his 1999 release Play, then you are sadly missing out on the impressive range and talent that Moby possesses and displayed during his night in Chicago.

Entering the stage, Moby started things off with a slow build, showcasing early on the gorgeous instrumental single "Shot in the Back of the Head" from his latest release, Wait For Me. The full band helped add depth to the live presentation of the more downtempo tracks. Not to keep the crowd waiting any longer for a dance party though, Moby launched into the massively popular "Bodyrock" transforming The Vic into toned down pop-up version of a rave (think less warehouse and glowsticks, but still plenty of heavy beats and lazers). He continued with some earlier works, while in between telling stories of his first solo show he played at the Metro in Chicago and the vibrant house music scene.

Throughout the night Moby found the perfect balance between energetic dance and stripped down sound. Next up were a bare bones Delta blues version of "Pale Horses," that lead into a violin heavy and almost bluegrass twang rendition of "The Great Escape," which immediately surged into "Southside." Crowd favorites like "In My Heart," "Natural Blues" and "Porcelain," which Moby dedicated to the audience, were meticulously crafted, truly showing the talent of not only Moby as a composer and multi-instrumentalist, but also the incredible vocal work of the hushed yet mesmerizing Kelli Scarr and the smooth and powerful Inyang Bassey.

The entire night was full of some of the most popular works from Moby's extensive catalog, as well as remixed variations, including a 13 minute indulgent jam on "Honey," which was prefaced by the warning "if you took the brown acid, you may want to go sit in the bathroom." Not everyone was a fan of the 13 minute opus (which went for 19 minutes in Detroit the night before), including the jerk that launched a drank at Moby about 11 minutes in, but he and band didn't even flinch. Afterwards, Moby brushed the incident off with the humorous demeanor he possess on stage, stating "I don't bother you at Denny's when you're working," and shrugged it off as an act of love. He ended the night on a high note, dedicating "Feeling So Real" to anyone that was involved in raving, as the crowd and band pulsated in time up until the last notes died off. Wednesday night's set was filled with both something old and something new, and above all else cemented the fact that Moby is an incredibly multifaceted and talented musician, composer, and DJ.