The first weekend of UNM's fall semester provided ample opportunities for music lovers to enjoy a wide sampling of acts.
One such treat was Saturday, Aug. 24 at Santa Fe's Paolo Soleri Amphitheatre where Moby took the stage. Fortunately, tickets were still available for the show and the 2,500 people who were lucky enough to buy them were rewarded with musical enlightenment.
Kicking off the evening, the dreamy sounds of Azure Ray filled the New Mexico sky. Dirty Vegas was the second band of the evening and its set was a pleasant surprise. After listening to the song "Without You" only briefly, it was great to hear Steve Smith's voice for more than the usual 30-second spot.
Dirty Vegas had a smooth, slinky sound that was an excellent precursor to the intricate layered sounds of Moby. The band finished its set with a rendition of the Pink Floyd song "Another Brick in the Wall" and left the stage to Moby and his seven-member band.
Paolo Soleri was an excellent venue for Moby to perform in. The cave-like stage, the amphitheater open to the night sky and the intimacy with the audience created a dialogue that might not have happened in a large arena.
Three women playing electronic string instruments introduced Moby's first song "Extreme Ways." After a strong intro with a new song off the album 18, Moby played "Go," followed by "Signs of Love." These songs maintained a heavy techno sound that kept the crowd moving throughout the night.
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One spectacular highlight was the "James Bond" theme song that really grounded Moby as musical maestro. "Why does my heart feel so bad," sung by Diana McCaulley, brought out another theme of the night - a gospel choir, with its members raising their hands to the open sky above.
Moby played his radio hit "We Are All Made of Stars" and a Lynyrd Skynrd guitar riff that displayed his acoustic guitar skills beyond any tracks that have been recorded on his CDs.
Moby asked the audience "Are there any English majors in the house?" as homage to his upbringing in an intellectual household with a mother who studied literature and a great- great-granduncle named Herman Melville.
RJ, the English DJ, exhibited some serious scratching prowess on his turntables. While Moby was jumping around in the audience with his afro, RJ kicked off the song "Jam for the Ladies," that kept us jamming long into the night. Moby also performed a punk tune as homage to his start in the punk band Flipper.
The evening was filled with a variety of styles all fused together on one stage. Gospel, punk, hip-hop and a drummer from Albuquerque named Scott Frazeto brought everyone together into a musical dreamland under the vast New Mexico night sky.
