FATBOY SLIM, AKA NORMAN COOK, played his first American in-store DJ set

last night (November 6), at the VIRGIN MEGASTORE in NEW YORK CITY’s UNION SQUARE.

The


performance was simulcast via satellite to 17 Virgin stores around the

country, and celebrated the release of Cook’s new LP, ‘Halfway Between The Gutter And

the Stars’, which comes out in the U.S. today (November 7).

Although the gig was open to the public, only those who pre-bought one of 300

copies of the CD on Friday (3 November) got wristbands that allowed them on the lower

level, where the DJ was set up.


A Virgin spokesman said that it wasn’t until Friday afternoon that all of the

wristbands had been distributed. (Pre-sales started at 9 a.m.) He wouldn’t

say how many copies of the new album had been pre-ordered, but he expected

the stores to sell “lots and lots”.

Beginning at 10:30 pm, Cook spun a set that combined a good chunk of

material from ‘Halfway’. (‘Sunset (Bird of Prey’,’Star 69′, ‘Ya Mama’) with a

chunk of 1998’s ‘You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby ‘(‘Right Here, Right Now’,

‘The Rockafeller Skank’, ‘In Heaven’, ‘Kalifornia’). He filled in the gig

with mixes The New Radicals’ ‘You Get What You Give’, ‘Groove Armada’s ‘I See

You Baby’ (complete with a little shake of Norman’s ass) and Azzido Da Bass’

‘Dooms Night’ among others. He closed the 90-minute in-store performance

with a version of Cream’s ‘Sunshine Of Your Love’.

The DJ drank a steady stream of orange juice throughout and looked guilty as

he hid behind his decks to light a cigarette. Wearing a grin as big as the smiley face on his T-shirt, Cook

seemed to be having the time of his life, despite the store’s harsh overhead

lighting, which he indicated he wanted dimmed (to no avail).

He did not sign autographs or come out for an encore.

Fatboy Slim will be at Denver’s Filmore Auditorium today (November 7), followed by

Seattle’s The Showbox (November 8), San Francisco’s 1015 Club (November 10)

and Los Angeles’ Club Soho (November 11).