Review: Steve Aoki at the Fillmore Auditorium, 1/26/12

Nick Callaio

Steve Aoki last night at the Fillmore Auditorium.

Before Steve Aoki took the stage last night, the crowd seemed to be getting a little restless. Luckily, dude came to party. Right off the bat, he came out and ran around the stage like a mad man pouring cranberry and orange juice on the crowd. (?!) This night was clearly more about putting on a show than showcasing his DJ skills, as Aoki probably didn't spend more than a twenty minutes in his DJ booth during the entire set. He'd pick a song and then split his time between running around on stage dancing, stage diving and crowd surfing on a blow-up mattress.

Nick Callaio

Steve Aoki last night at the Fillmore Auditorium.

That said, if you came strictly for the party, you left satisfied. If you came for the music, however, you were probably underwhelmed. We certainly were. After seeing an array of DJs perform over the past couple years, Aoki was among the worst. Although his stage presence is certainly admirable, when it came to mixing songs, he leaves a lot to be desired. It was almost painful to watch his set. At one point, we overheard someone in the crowd comment: "This guy is a loser." Earlier in the evening, Datsik opened with a variety of bass heavy remixes. His set was by far the best part of night. A big part of the dubstep scene, he's ready to make the transition from opener to headliner.

Nick Callaio

Steve Aoki last night at the Fillmore Auditorium.

Personal Bias: Going into this concert, I had heard that Aoki's mixing skills are subpar and that he doesn't put on a quality show. Right on one count.

Random Detial: The crowd kept on getting smaller and smaller towards the middle of Aoki's set.

By the way: Last night was Steve's first headlining spot at the Fillmore.