Dance, MF. Dance!

Groove officer David Shuey reviews a Fatboy Slim show in Chicago.

Chicago's fatboy slim November 12 Metro show-boating show gets a mixed review from this dance-man.

If you're drunk, you loved it. With every new beer, the better it got. My sweetie roommate & I danced our butts off. Unlike aloof djs, fatboy's going to FORCE you to have a good time -- pumps fists, mugging camera grins, makes hand-written statements on his white labels like "motherfucker" then to be cute cuts into (remix?) of peach's "fatherfucker." You're paying for it: so Fatboy hams it up in general. It's borderline annoying and paternal.

So if mixed with any bit of "skepticism" or other analytical inebriants, then it's cheezy beyond belief.

Also, take the fact my face will SURELY be on some stupid DVD in 2005 due to public disclaimer fliers essentially saying, "we're filming you, so fuck off". A camera hit my mug as they took my ticket. As I danced front row. As I got a beer. Everywhere, a DV cam. Thank Normon Cook, his label, and lawyers for giving me a CHOICE after shelling 25 bucks!

He played the pop and electronic sounds we know: every hit spanning 20 years. Even a couple of his own. A bit of Chemical Brothers, here and there. That wobbly metallic trance-y sound-effect I've heard for 5+ years, but NOT ONE AUDIENCE member (I asked seven people) could name. Particular audience screams came from his unique cuts on the pop songs: Bangels with "Walk-like-an-egyptian," the first track from that juicy franz ferdinand disc, and White Stripes' "seven nation army" guitar-jam mixed 30 minutes apart. I think that's only the 20th time I've heard it mixed by a dj. So "cool" and original, for sure.

Crowd is pretty lame -- in the scene TO BE SEEN if you know what I mean.

But dammit, I had fun. Really.

The new Fatboy Slim album is out now.  Fatboy Slim played the Metro on Friday, November 12. Review by David Shuey.