Atlantic City Weekly

AM's last performance in AC

Photo by Nick Valinote

CRACK PIPES AND VALENTINES. His recent near-death plane wreck, which left him burned — but alive. Those are some of the tragic memories that will be attached to the late Adam Goldstein, the 36-year-old Philly native whose nom de scratch DJ AM became synonymous with first-rate dance shows from Hollywood to Atlantic City. But there are good memories, too. Lots of them.

Like Goldstein throwing out the first pitch at Citi Field on Sunday, Aug. 23. And spinning on the following Tuesday at Dusk, the Atlantic City nightclub at Caesars that Goldstein, who was found dead at his Manhattan apartment on Friday, Aug. 28, co-owned.

That Tuesday night at Dusk was his last public DJ performance anywhere.

The club went dark the following Friday, the night when news spread like wildfire on the Web about the sought-after DJ who not only had a new club near his hometown open this summer, but was on the verge of even bigger DJ super-stardom with a new MTV show about to debut (ironically about family intervention for drug users) in October, as well as a featured role in a new video game called DJ Hero, set for release Oct. 27 by Activision.

Past drug addictions. Gossip-column romances. A broken-heart. Write-ups in the tabloids and on the Web about suicide attempts. His friends and colleagues won’t remember Adam like that. They’ll likely remember him as Eric Millstein, VP of the Red Stripe Plane Group, which is part owner of Dusk, depicts in the following statement to the media:

“During those days I spent with him, like any other, he was the man I have come to know over the years: kind, genuine, funny, sensitive and above all a caring friend. I know his legacy will live on and we in the Dusk family will make sure we always represent the very best of him. The world has lost a tremendous talent, but I have lost a great friend.”

Or like the picture (above), which our photographer Nick Valinote snapped at Dusk on Tuesday, Aug. 25.

By phone, Millstein spoke with me about the future of Dusk: “[Adam] was involved in [every] step of the way — from a design standpoint, obviously sound, lighting, music format, marketing schematics — everything. We communicated all the time in all aspects.” Millstein adds that DJ AM was integral in choosing the other DJs who have performed — and who “still will perform” — at Dusk.

So how will DJ AM’s death affect Dusk’s future? “Dusk will continue to realize his vision and his legacy at all costs,” says Millstein. “Always.”

Tributes were held to DJ AM at Dusk on the Saturday following his death and this past Tuesday. Will there be any permanent tribute to Goldstein inside Dusk? Right now the club’s team is getting together to see what they will be doing moving forward. “The answer is yes,” says Millstein.

“But we are huddling and making sure that everything is done properly with complete sensitivity towards him and his family and his fans. … It has to be something that’s done exactly the way it should be — nothing should be rushed. Everything has to be just perfect to pay tribute to such a great guy.”

Millstein adds that during Saturday night’s re-opening of Dusk, there was a moment of silence held at the stroke of midnight. “You could hear a pin drop,” says Millstein. “It was touching to say the least. We did the exact same thing on [Tuesday] night.”

Just prior to the opening of Dusk this summer, Goldstein told Atlantic City Weekly’s Ray Schweibert what a dream it was to co-open a nightspot at the Jersey shore:

“It was a big factor — I spent every summer till I was 13 in Margate, Ventnor and Longport, and it’s always been a dream of mine to have my own club in a casino, especially one so close to where I’m from,” he told Schweibert. “I’m incredibly excited to be involved in such a unique project. From the design to the music, Dusk is in a league of its own. Once you spend an hour in there, you’ll know why.”

It was the Borgata who initially lured one of the West Coast’s favorite DJs to town. DJ AM performed several times at both the Borgata’s MIXX and mur.mur clubs since the property opened in 2003. DJ AM and the Borgata even picked up an award at this past year’s ACWeekly.com Reader’s Choice Nightlife Awards for “Best Guest DJ.” According to Noel Stevenson, spokesperson for the Borgata, DJ AM’s last performance there — at mur.mur — was this past spring.

Adds Stevenson, on behalf of the Borgata, “We are deeply saddened over the loss of Adam. He was an artist and innovator in the industry, and will surely be missed. Our sincerest condolences go out to his friends and loved ones.”

When asked if Dusk had any recordings of DJ AM performing at the venue, Millstein says, “It’s a good question, but one I’m not going to comment on.”