I’m usually more partial to smaller, intimate club gigs, but given the opportunity to check out Fatboy Slim at Riverstage, it’d be an offence to not seize it.
Walking into the show at the immense natural amphitheatre on Monday night was like being teleported to a mainstage at a huge festival: lights, crowds, lasers and acid trips abound.
The stage was well warmed by the time Erick Morillo wrapped up his two hour set, and the punters swarmed the hillside by the thousands as Fatboy Slim (aka Norman Cook) took his perch centre stage during an epic panflute intro track. To an enormous crowd response, Cook jumped straight into his new classic ‘Eat, Sleep, Rave, Repeat’. What followed was an intense medley of Fatboy Slim anthems, but the show’s most captivating aspect from the very beginning was the creepy visual accompaniment to Cook’s rave-inducing handiwork. Weird CGI heads, connotative smiley faces on eyeballs, and other oddities bombarded the LED screen throughout the 90-minute festivity.
Speckled throughout the set were samplings of other musical greats, but most engaging was his tribute to the late David Bowie; Cook mixed ‘Rebel Rebel’ seamlessly with his own massive tune, ‘Right Here, Right Now’, much to the audience’s approval.
Wielding his signature power-stance fist pump, Fatboy Slim cranked out a set that satisfied a crowd spanning generations. A testament to his longevity and prowess, you can’t afford to miss him on his next visit.
Rating: ★★★★
