Triple J host/producer Nina Las Vegas was given the job of kicking off the party at Riverstage last Wednesday night. With an early start—barely 7pm—and a still half-empty venue, this was not such an easy task.
“Are you guys having fun sitting on the grass?” she quipped with a playful smile. Despite the crowd’s mellow vibe, the Sydney-based DJ busted out an enjoyable 45-minute mix, including tracks from Beyoncé and Disclosure.
Watching avidly from side stage, second support Baauer swapped places with the Aussie DJ to take his own stab at the decks. Wearing a backwards red cap and casual white tee, the 24 year old looked like just another punk kid.
Baauer immediately owned it by beginning with the epic synthy drop of Rustie’s ‘Slasherr’. The American producer seemed to have a clear penchant for hip hop, throwing in the likes of Rihanna, Missy Elliott, and cheekily mouthing along to the “big booty” lyrics of Lil’ Wayne and T.I. In spite of leaving out his viral hit ‘Harlem Shake’, Baauer had the crowd moving and suitably warmed up for the main act.
Less than half an hour later, a lovely-looking lady blinged up with headphones took over the decks and began laying down a steady bass beat. Backed by two more female dancers and a giant screen projecting images of another, the man of the moment stepped on stage. Pharrell Williams silently saluted the enormous screaming crowd before announcing with a smile, “I want to know your name!” The bassy intro to Swedish House Mafia’s ‘One (Your Name)’ began and the crowd broke into dance.
After a chorus, the song was abruptly cut short – but the surprised punters were soothed with the familiar bass drum intro of ‘Drop It Like It’s Hot’. The set truly felt like a DJ’s mix, as what was to follow was an eclectic, all-hit blend of the artist’s greatest collaborations. ‘Hollaback Girl’, ‘Blurred Lines’, and ‘Get Lucky’ were all sang loudly and proudly by the adoring crowd. Williams was clearly loving the attention, removing his shirt well before everyone’s guilty pleasure party song ‘Hot In Herre’ demanded so.
The night was a celebration of the musician’s production work as a whole, rather than a sole promotion of new material off his just-released sophomore solo album, G I R L. The only hints of the latter was his performance of the Diana Ross-esque ‘Hunter’.
“I think we need more oestrogen up here!” Williams announced after a speedy rendition of the provocative 13-year-old N.E.R.D. hit, ‘Lapdance’.
The N.E.R.D. hits continued, with the hip-shaking percussion of ‘She Wants To Move’ echoing over the open-air arena. Williams then began picking out female audience members, much to the dismay of his equally eager male fans, leading to half a dozen or so young Brisbane girls grinding on their idol—a man, despite his youthful looks, now old enough to be their father. It was a display inducing both cringes and laughs, and especially so when one saw the highly amused look on the face of the superstar’s wife sitting just off stage.
Nevertheless, the performer made it clear that this was a show about the people. In fact, it felt more like a giant shindig than an artist’s performance. Leaving half the vocals for the punters to complete, coupled with the stop-start nature of the set, might have lead some to pass him off as lazy or blasé. In saying that, Williams clearly knows his position in the music industry as a producer, musician, and party-starter responsible for a large number of hits over the past decade, humbly declaring, “I just wanna show how much I appreciate you …I know they call this the land Down Under, but this is the land on top!”
There seemed to be only one way to top such feel-good vibes. The singer then instructed the “sea of Brisbane” to make way as he ended night in true style: among the people. It was a double encore of his latest clap-along, boogie-inducing smash, and the parting words: “I want you to repeat after me. I am from Brisbane and I will change the world one day, starting with this one word – ‘Happy’!”
