It may have been unseasonably chilly outside but things warmed up quickly inside as the Gen Z and Millennial ladies of Ottawa flocked to the Bronson Centre Wednesday night. The draw was a sold out show (the first of two) by music producer and DJ James Kennedy, a fan favourite cast member of the popular Bravo reality series Vanderpump Rules.
Drama Diablo performs at Bronson Centre photo Jen Derbach
Canadian DJ, originally from the Peterborough area, Drama Diablo, entertained the early arrivals. If the music didn’t grab you his bright graphic backdrop certainly would. Depicting a Hyena DJ with two laughing hyena sidekicks surrounded by purple toned speakers it brought to mind the Lisa Frank stationary sets of the 90s (known for neon colours and animal prints) and the natural set up of the stage for a DJ set had it looking like he was playing inside a pinball machine.
Clearly an experienced DJ he spun an excellent set, warming up the place, getting the crowd moving and singing (loudly to Bon Jovi’s ‘Livin’ On A Prayer’ is one memorable moment) and pumping them up telling them he could feel their energy and this would surely be a great night, great crowd.
DJ Ilon performs at Bronson Centre photo Jen Derbach
Next to take to the decks was Ottawa’s own DJ Ilon. His backdrop was less eye-catching but black and red emblazoned with his name and the quote “It’s not what you play it’s how you play.” He also did an excellent job warming up the growing crowd with an eclectic mix of music that included some older dance tracks from the 90’s and 00’s as well as come country.
James Kennedy performs at Bronson Centre photo Jen Derbach
As the crowd grew it became clear this was a true girls night out for the ladies of Ottawa and their excitement was palpable and catching. It also became clear that there are some real die hard fans of Vanderpump Rules (and James Kennedy in particular) in Ottawa, as several groups were sporting custom shirts with famous quotes from the show. Many with “It’s not about the pasta” and others included “pumptinis,” “We Need More Cosmopolitans,” “I’m California Sober,” “See you next Tuesday,” and “How about we take a Honda Civic selfie?”.
For those wondering, the man of the hour took the stage around 9:25 and spun a full high energy 90 minute set. He teased the crowd with just a snippet of the Vanderpump Rule theme off the top and other than him yelling “It’s pumptini time” on several occasions one might not know he was famous for anything other than being a DJ. If you were hoping he would spin ‘Good As Gold’ the song from fellow Vanderpump Rules cast member Sheana Marie you would be disappointed but his performance was otherwise enthralling. Known for his Tuesday night sets (See You Next Tuesday) at SUR in LA he has much experience in and knows how to energise a week night crowd.
James Kennedy performs at Bronson Centre photo Jen Derbach
Seeing James Kennedy perform live is even more fun than it appears on the show. James is truly a high energy DJ often coming front of stage or jumping down to floor level with the crowd. His signature dance move appears to be to pump his arms like the banana in the iconic flash animated ‘Peanut Butter Jelly Time’ video of the early 00’s (featuring ‘Peanut Butter & Jelly’ by the Buckwheat Boyz) and it’s hard to emulate the move and not find yourself smiling and having fun.
James Kennedy gives the crowd exactly what they want. Leaping around from every level imaginable, swinging things around his head, removing his shirt in dramatic fashion and even spraying the crowd with bubbly wine. He brought out behaviour not commonly seen anymore as fans clamoured for attention, even a bra went flying at one point.
One could not forget who was performing, with the backdrop flashing his name in every graphic font available usually along with his face, but that would not stop him from giving the audience the real facetime they craved. He often interacts with the crowd on floor level and even dedicates the last 15 minutes of every show to taking selfies with anyone and everyone, even asking for the house lights to be put up for better photos.
Even with the dedicated time during the show for the fans he stayed long after his set signing autographs for fans and the soundtrack on the streets outside the venue was that of squeals of delight of a night well spent and plans being made to visit LA to see him on his home turf the next time.
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