DJ Shadow at The Fonda Theatre — Photo: ceethreedom

For me, the best part about Coachella are all the Goldenvoice booked Coachella sideshows. This last Tuesday, the legendary Josh Davis aka DJ Shadow performed at the Fonda Theatre. I’ve been a massive DJ Shadow fan for the last 20+ years. I’ve seen Shadow perform countless times over the years, and he never ceases to amaze me. This show was no different. Before his set, Shadow explained that this performance was his expanded and more in depth version of his Coachella set. Everything that was played was strictly his music, including a lot of deep cuts from his various side projects and aliases including U.N.K.L.E., and Nite School Clik.

DJ Shadow at The Fonda Theatre — Photo: ceethreedom

It should be mandatory that all up-and-coming DJs and producers see Shadow perform at least once. Mr. Davis is a true DJ master and his sets are so incredibly detailed and skillfully layered, you easily lose yourself in the sonic journey he takes you on. With nearly 30 years of music to pull from, Shadow expertly chopped, screwed, sliced, diced and scratched all the songs you’d expect as well as the more obscure and deeper cuts. Highlights for me included the 2003 Zack de la Rocha track, “March of Death,” “Rabbit in your Headlights,” from U.N.K.L.E featuring Thom Yorke, “Warning Call” featuring Tom Vek, and “Scale it Back” featuring Little Dragon. The slightly older crowd was super hyped on Shadow, going nuts when he dropped classics like “Midnight in a Perfect World,” “What Does Your Soul Look Like?,” “Building Steam With a Grain of Salt,” “Six Days” and of course, “Organ Donor.” When Shadow went into Caterina Valente’s “Ol’ Man River,” the track that provided the main hook for his “Nobody Speak” track with Run the Jewels, the Fonda just about lost their minds. As part of the encore, DJ Shadow premiered a new song, “Corridors” from his work with Academy Award winning composer, Steven Price, promising a release “sooner or later.”

Opening up for DJ Shadow at the Fonda Theatre was Sam Gellaitry. Check out the photos below.

Words & Photography: Ceethreedom