Review: DJ Shadow/Cut Chemist @ Hollywood Bowl

6/24/7, Los Angeles: It's rare for a solid evening of live music to be brought to such an anti-climactic close. But such was the case Sunday when DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist teamed to spin some rare (and not-so-rare) 45s at the Hollywood Bowl.

The cavernous theatre probably isn't the best place for an hour-long set of record-scratching in the first place, but the DJ duo held court with great sound, some slick technicals and a bevy of cameras capturing every needle-drop and back-spin. As explained in an amusing introductory video, the duo's ability of mixing songs from 45 rpm 7"s (as opposed to 12" LPs) is a difficult feat, due to the disc's size and speed. The sampling of titles covered a wide spectrum, including some "never heard of that before" moments, but overall the pace was in need of some picking up. Too often, the DJs stuck within genres, featuring a doo wop section, a classic hip-hop section, a Brazilian/Carnaval section and some recent rock (Foo Fighters). It was fun, but hardly mind-blowing.

Using small, portable turntables to scratch along to Metallica's "One" while walking around the stage was a great idea, but Shadow cleary wasn't as good at it as Cut Chemist, and then the record skipped at the last moment,followed by a deafening silence from the crowd. Kim Fowley, of all people, stumbled out and announced the show's end, but it appeared that no one in the crowd knew who he was and the stunt confused more than it thrilled.