The 9:30 Club was packed to capacity for Jon Gooch aka Feed Me, and his monstrous stage setup named Teeth. Returning to DC, Feed Me took the crowd through a “Psychedelic Journey,” complete with a bigger and badder set of Teeth which are as wide as the stage and tall enough you were eye level with Jon from the third story bar. In January of 2013 Feed Me came through with a set of Teeth that awed the crowd with its color changing abilities and bright lights; but this year the Teeth went a massive step forward with more advanced capabilities which often featured the favorite little green monster, who throughout the show was flying through outer-space battling asteroids and doing all the things little green monsters do.
Tjani opened up the small stage that is left unoccupied by a large black curtain to conceal the massive structure until the time is right. He really warmed the place up with a Trippy Turtle like style set, and introduced DC favorite Manilla Killa to DJ briefly as well.
Everyone who made it in early enough enjoyed the set, and Tjani looked like he had a blast on stage as well.
One member of Delta Heavy took over right at 10 PM to really change up the vibe with a very different set. Almost an entirely Drum & Bass set from beginning to end, Delta Heavy raised the energy with the tempo. With a few Dubstep tracks thrown in the mix Delta Heavy stuck to their roots and played some serious bass heavy DnB, to the crowds enjoyment. Getting a slightly longer set than the 1 hour they were scheduled for, when the set ended just after 11 pm the stage crew started to dismantle the table and equipment to reveal the main act after a brief intermission.
One of the most notable things about the show, aside from the Teeth, was Gooch’s overall stage presence. Even though he was perched atop his massive set-up, his presence with the crowd was perhaps the best we have seen at a show of this size all summer. Starting off his set by commanding that the crowd “Do as I f***ing say and make some noise for Tjani and Delta Heavy,” Gooch caught the attention of the crowd early and held them in the palm of his hand for the rest of the evening. Occasionally taking breaks to command more noise from the crowd, the personal element was an excellent touch and clearly showed that Gooch is a seasoned performer. On the topic of bass, any attendee would agree the experience of Feed Me’s thunderous bass was something to feel and at times was so heavy that unoccupied bar stools were dancing across the second and third floor balconies on their own.
As it came time for the psychedelic journey to come to a close, Gooch came down from the Teeth to get closer to the crowd and show DC some love. As the crowd cheered for one more song Gooch got pelted with kandi, making Diplo’s case stronger that kandi can be dangerous–those little beads can pack a punch, especially when thrown by girls in furry boots crying for attention. Shortly after the “attack of the PLUR” Gooch hopped back into the Teeth to close out the night with his infamous “Trapdoor” and leave the crowd literally breathless.
Feed Me’s DC stop on the Psychedelic Journey EP tour was bigger and better than his last, and we couldn’t have been happier to get the chance to go and experience its bigger and better production. While we were all fed a hearty helping of bass and lights, we still want to know one thing– how long does it to setup / teardown this massive installation?! Because it has to be one of the biggest we’ve seen in a venue like 9:30!
article by Matt Shlonsky – Photos by Toby Mues