Minimalist Jukebox #1.5: Techno Beats & Concert Hall Seats

LA Weekly's Caroline Ryder was wondering if she would be hugging people "1992-style" at yesterday morning's (really early morning) Minimalist Jukebox concert featuring The Orb at Walt Disney Concert Hall. No hugging was spotted, but plenty of what looked to be ex-ravers from 1992 (plus one guy in a tie-dye t-shirt who never stopped dancing).

Let it be said: the concert was amazing. The Orb put on a fantastic show (despite their ambient music not being featured) preceded by John Tejada's sound that was reminiscent of Orbital's production style (think Middle of Nowhere).

Even if you had tickets, the lines were moving slower than airport security. DNTEL, who was the first featured artist, had a small crowd for his moody music. At 2:00 a.m., Boom Bip began while we adjusted to the fact that the night was not over and no bouncer was going to clear the "club" (a little tired though, we mixed up our words and kept calling Boom Bip a Korean dish - Bibimbap).

A concert such as this in a world-class concert hall is an odd fit. Those who wanted to dance adjusted quite well and those who wanted to chill sprawled out in a way that would be unacceptable at any LA Phil concert. It may have been sold out, but the vibe was missing at times. 500 more tickets could have been easily sold to solve this, as the concert hall was never filled to capacity due to the lobby bars, dance floor, Concert Hall Café, and the flavorpill VIP room.

That said, major props go to the producers of the event for thinking out of the box and making the show the best it could be. We hope that something this unique can continue at Walt Disney Concert Hall. And thank god liquiding was kept to a minimum.

The next Minimalist Jukebox concert is tonight at 8:00 p.m. The featured work is In C by Terry Riley and is played by over a 100 musicians. Will it be tight or a train wreck? If you've never been to Walt Disney Concert Hall, it's only $10 for tonight's show.