Monday’s RJD2 show at the Triple Rock Social Club was a funky, psychedelic adventure. Or, at least it should have been. DJ/artist extraordinaire Ramble John Krohn could have done better.

RJD2 not only performed with his mixing board, turning knobs and flipping switches, but also played with a live band. I’m not so sure that he should have. The whole performance was a little lackluster. The songs seemed to drone on forever and he didn’t really seem that into it. His performance was so-so, certainly lacking the energy expected based on his albums. And his band half-assed things, too.

The venue was interesting as always, packed but not too crowded and certainly full of characters. Dancing couples grinded to the best on the dance floor, cool kids stood with arms folded against the wall, lonely hipsters drank their PBR. Same crowd, different night—and unfortunately a lot less energy than usual.

Thank God for the projector and its Technicolor displays of scenes from The Matrix, old 70s bollywood film Disco Dancer and Boondock Saints. Without those, there wouldn’t have been much else going on.

Fortunately crowd favorites “Ghostwriter” and “Good Times Roll pt. 2” were played to please the masses, without which his set would have been a complete bust. The encore was relatively good compared to the rest of the show, but was a slow ballad that drained what little liveliness the crowd had left in them.

Opening band Break Science certainly held their own. Their set was energetic and entertaining. They were better than the headliner, hands down. Consisting of two men, a drum set and a mixing board/computer, Break Science did not disappoint. Playing the melodica didn’t hurt, either. They played the first encore of their tour so far, and it was well deserved and desired.

All in all, the experience was a downer and the $18 spent on tickets could have gone to much better causes. I give this concert .5 out of three crowns.