Live Review: Steve Aoki and Duran Duran at Terminal 5

DJ Aoki at Terminal 5, photograph by Cody Oyama

See What Unfolds Live! Trident Gum put on a private event Wednesday night featuring DJ Steve Aoki, a special guest, and a handful of celebrity appearances. The special guest was Duran Duran. Notables in attendance included The Bachelorette‘s Roberto Martinez, Glee‘s Mark Salling, and Beyonce’s little sister Solange.

DJ Aoki and audience at Terminal 5, photograph by Cody Oyama

Terminal 5 is a great venue but has its drawbacks. The floor is packed like sardines and the acoustics are bluntly ear-shattering. Visibility is limited unless you’re either in the front row or on the VIP mezzanine (or resign to watching the performance on any one of the conveniently placed televisions). The crowd varies, according to the line-up. Wednesday night was characterized by neon sunglasses and beachy-raver attire – perfect for a summertime electro-freakout.

DJ Aoki at Terminal 5, photograph by Cody Oyama

The same day, Aoki’s Technical and Hospitality Rider leaked onto the internet. It starts off with the expected requests for specific equipment and props and merchandizing, but read on. Aoki knows how to do it. He had an inflatable dingy so he could safely and comfortably crowd surf. (Among other things) he demands a number of feasts, Cristal, a slice of “local grass,” socks, underwear, American Apparel t-shirts, and “2 medium sized cake[s] that [read] ‘DIM MAK’ (soft icing, soft cake, nothing dense or bundt)”. He’s a big shot though, so he can do that. Plus a decent amount of champagne rained on the crowd.

DJ Aoki and Duran Duran at Terminal 5, photograph by Cody Oyama

Trident reportedly sought to bridge consumer age groups with the collaboration between Aoki and Duran Duran. Aoki cranks out EDM bangers, mashing together all sorts of electro-genres. His 2008 album, Pillowface and His Airplane Chronicles was pretty limp, but he can still fill up stadiums. Duran Duran fell from musical prominence a while ago, so it was certainly surprising to see the English pop vets return to the stage (The teen and young adult demographic eats up throbbing bass. The next age bracket is supposed to rock out to outdated pop – market research for the win?). Regardless, Aoki and Duran Duran did a live renovation of Duran Duran’s “Hungry Like A Wolf”, which was definitely an interesting hybrid.

See What Unfolds Live at Terminal 5, photograph by Cody Oyama

When Duran Duran started their own set, most of the audience left. Maybe if they had been headliners rather than surprise guests then audience would have been more down for the genre shift. See What Unfolds Live was certainly a spectacle, a grand event full of confetti and aggressively indulgent bass. Plus there was free gum at the end. Thanks Trident!