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See the full 30-photo Peaches at Grand Central slideshow.
Peaches DJ-MC Set
Grand Central, Miami
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Better Than: Getting a mammogram. Although, ladies, you should get one anyway.
Ah, the awkwardness of reviewing a DJ set. How to make it compelling enough to the reader so he/she actual stops and reads it. Unless you are there that night, describing how someone standing behind decks is making you feel is hard to do — unless it’s Peaches.
Yes, Peaches played plenty of bangers like she promised. But she really had everyone eating out of her hand as soon as she stepped on stage covered in tits. (We wonder how the conversation went with whoever designed the outfit.) She sang a bit of her own material and even threw a special cover in there.
In preparation for the night, we watched a few YouTube videos of Peaches doing her DJ-MC sets in other cities, and we saw Ms. Nisker surrounded by a bevy of burlesque dancers and being rolled across the stage as she twisted and turned knobs. None of that happened on Saturday, but nobody seemed to care.
As one person pointed out, “The people in the front of the stage have been standing there since they venue opened. Can you believe that? All for a DJ set?”
Yes, we can believe it. Something about Peaches inspires cult following. She’ll never top the Billboard charts, but who cares? She’s made a career of creating interesting electro ditties with an honest exploration of sexuality.
And as a DJ, Peaches does pretty well. She isn’t going to be selling out arenas anytime soon. But as far as musicians who also happen to DJ sometimes, she’s better than most. And much like her live performances, a Peaches DJ-MC set is all about the spectacle. She was constantly moving from behind the decks to sing or spray what seemed to be an endless supply of champagne.
But the highlight of the night was perhaps her cover of Tina Turner’s “Private Dancer,” a song that owns kitschy-but-pure pop-perfection status. Which, coincidentally, perfectly describes Peaches herself.
Critic’s Notebook
The Crowd: Hipsters, gays, and hipster gays.
Personal Bias: If you grew up with Miami’s indie nightlife scene at the turn of the century, Peaches was basically your nightly soundtrack.
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