RJD2 Plays Spectacular Set at Union Transfer

by Adam McGrath

There is no longer any doubt whether Philly music fans love mix-and-match master RJD2. The packed house Friday night at Union Transfer solidified the local legacy of RJ Krohn as someone who can bring serious beats to any party.

RJD2 looked perfectly at ease on stage all night, from his playful, costumed entrance to his Inspector Gadget-like manning of four turntables and a couple of samplers. The rhythm section of Chuck Palmer and Khari Mateen were perfectly in sync with RJ’s samples and sounds, recreating and remixing songs from the fantastic recent album More Is Than Isn’t. Major props for the intense bongo drums on “Winter Isn’t Coming!”

Along with other new tracks like “Her Majesty’s Socialist Request,” RJD2 weaved in hits like “A Beautiful Mine,” which of course is the theme to TV’s Mad Men. The biggest reaction of the night, though, came at the jazzy synth crash of “Ghostwriter.”

The performance would not be complete without a few guest spots, and things got a little cheeky with Philly rapper STS, who treated the hometown crowd to an extra verse of “See You Leave.” RJD2’s Icebird partner Aaron Livingston also joined the band for a couple songs, and everyone was feeling the love as RJ practically jumped off stage to meet fans at the end of the show.

He was probably there for a while too, but must have loved every minute. He later tweeted, “Last night was in my top 10 funnest shows of all time.” I’m positive scores of Philly fans feel the same way.