Show: Deltron 3030
Date: November 24, 2013
Venue: The Fonda Theatre
City: Los Angeles, CA
Deltron 3030
Photos by Nicolas Bates
Written by Dan Sinclair
After an early set here at the lovely Fonda Theatre, Los Angeles’s own The Gaslamp Killer told us that we should expect “A hell of a show tonight.” Turns out Gaslamp was looking to buy tickets for this evening’s event when concert promoters asked him to open the show instead. Why didn’t they ask me? Oh, yeah—because I have no musical talent.
But this tour in support of Event 2, the second album appearing now 13 years after its predecessor, Deltron 3030 will not be just a trio. Tonight they’re backed by a 16-piece orchestra featuring guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, a horn section, a string section and backup singers, who all take the stage first. Next up is the conductor and legendary hip-hop producer Dan the Automator, dressed in full composer attire. And shortly after DJ Kid Koala returns to his scratching post (initially playing a set after The Gaslamp Killer) and the voice of Deltron 3030, Del tha Funkeé Homosapien stands front and center, mic in hand and it’s time to get started.
The introduction “State of the Nation” comes over the speakers as the tension mounts and then Del announces that it’s “3030,” and the epic collection of sound commences. Dan the Automator conducts the orchestra, all the instruments collide with DJ Kid Koala’s record scratching mastery and Del spits out his hypnotic lyrics: “I want y’all to meet Deltron Zero, hero, not no small feat/It’s all heat in this day and age/I’ll raid your grave, anything it takes to save the day.”
Everybody in the crowd is moving and what a crowd it is. Very mixed, hard to get a median age on it really, but one thing does stand out and that’s all the couples. Yes, it seems Deltron 3030 at the Fonda is a hot date night. And there are also some very drunk people walking amongst us. One guy was so drunk that he had dropped his cell phone and when someone chased him down to return it, the drunk asshole spent a good five minutes staring at the good Samaritan before pulling him close for a grateful hug.
But back to more important things, Del’s flow continues with “Things You Can Do.” It’s smooth and moving, always interesting with thought provoking lyrics. Del’s flow is still one of the best and he showcases it in “Positive Contact.”
Dan says hello to the crowd and reminds them there’s a new Deltron album and that it’s time to play some songs off it. And to do that properly, they bring out none other than Don Jon himself, Mr. Joseph Gordon-Levitt. JGL remembers hanging out with his friends listening to the first Deltron record thinking, “This is just like a fucking movie!” He then yells a truly enthusiastic performance of “Stardate” before the band launches into “The Return” and “Nobody Can” off Event 2.
From there, they bounce back and forth between new and old with “Mastermind,” “Melding of the Minds,” and “Agony,” before Kid Koala is given the stage all to himself to attack the turntables, displaying his fully non-headphone-wearing, no-iPad-using method of old school hip-hop deejaying by scratching records. He’s off-the-hook here, but his highlight of the night had to be during the opener where he performed a live version of his daughter’s favorite song, one he did for the children’s program Yo Gabba Gabba!
Deltron returns to do one of my personal favorites, “Virus.” It’s a song I hear in my head when I get mad at some establishment: “I wanna devise a virus/To bring dire straights to your environment/Crush your corporations with a mild touch/Trash your whole computer system and revert you to papyrus.” I get mad at many establishments, so I hear it a lot.
They finish the remarkable set with a new one in “My Only Love” and a classic in “Memory Loss.” And the crowd erupts and keeps cheering until they come back on stage for the encore. After the great performance of “Do You Remember,” Dan asks Del if they should do another. Del’s laughs and asks, “I don’t know. How many of you bought the new album?” The answer is plenty judging by the loud screams from the audience, and they’re rewarded with a cover of Gorillaz’ “Clint Eastwood.” You remember, the one where Del was a rapping cartoon? Trust me, it’s much better live and in person (and without Damon Albarn).
Seeing Deltron 3030 live is an amazing experience no true music fan should ever pass up. Having them backed by a 16-piece orchestra? Well, that, my friends, is a once in a lifetime opportunity.