DJ AM at Rich's

We went out on a school night to Rich's last night to see DJ AM, better known as Nicole Richie's ex-boyfriend. We got there early in club time - 10:30, and the place was pretty empty. The opening DJ was still spinning, and doing a pretty decent job, even though there weren't enough people out to justify venturing onto the dance floor.

DJ AM (Adam Goldstein) came on without being announced, but you could tell the music selection had changed. Rather than stick to electronica/trance/normal club remixes, he incorporates a lot of different music genres into his playlist. I'm not necessarily saying that is a good thing. While it is interesting to hear "Sweet Home Alabama" transform into generic 80's pop music, and then into Justin Timberlake, it makes it difficult to dance to. By midnight the place was filling up fast, and by the time we left, shortly before 1:00 am, there was no elbow room. Unfortunately, the music seemed to be getting better as the night went on, and had it been a weekend, I would have gladly stayed to find out. As it was, I was not very impressed by his Hollywood credentials, and even though he has partied with Paris Hilton, I preferred the guy who opened for him. Perhaps he uses these types of venues to try out new things on the crowd. However, I watched him for a while, and while he was very involved in what he was doing, he never raised his head to see the reaction of the crowd when they paused puzzlingly at the strange mix of music. You have to play to your audience, even if you are a Hollywood big shot. Definitely not worth the $20 per person cover charge.