?uestlove performs at The Church on Saturday. (photo by Rebecca Haithcoat)

If the goal of a DJ is to get people dancing, then Ahmir '?uestlove' Thompson was only moderately successful. About 30 minutes into his set Saturday night at The Church, it was clear that if hip-hop band The Roots' highly recognizable Afro-coiffed drummer weren't the DJ spinning, most of the crowd would've already peeled off.

Promoters Walk Talkin and Kiss-n-Grind added to the multitude of Michael Jackson birthday parties being thrown across the country this weekend with their 'Remember the Time' bash. The crowd turned out like it was a Revival Meetin', despite the heat.

And that heat was considerable -- the bartender was in a bikini, and it was actually justified. ?uestlove took the pulpit in the room closest to Heaven, and if he had been breathing fire and brimstone it could not have been hotter. Window-unit air conditioners and fans, two each, withered in the presence of the literal recreation of Nelly's 2002 video for the song, 'Hot in Herre.'

In the little-over-two months since Michael Jackson passed away, radio stations and DJs have played his hits so often a moratorium needs to be placed on 'Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough.' In the face of that inundation, how does a DJ put on a fresh spin?

The Roots' drummer seemed right for the challenge. Although most people probably know the band from its current status as house band for 'Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,' the group has toured for over 15 years with a fervency usually only associated with jam bands, and has become renowned for its live show, an anomaly among hip-hop acts. The Roots is an intelligent outfit that can also rock the mic right.

But last night's set was too esoteric. ?uest would've received an 'A' if he'd played this for his thesis committee. Alas, this was a party, and people come to a party, especially one helmed by a celebrity, with energy just barely contained. Around midnight, the atmosphere in The Church was like a covered pot on the stove, boiling just short of explosion. We were trembling with the anticipation of those awaiting rapture.

As a drummer, ?uestlove is not accustomed to a position of authority. The conversation between performer and audience is usually in rapper Black Thought's (Tariq Trotter) hands. He reads the energy of The Roots' crowds -- what they want and for what they're ready.

?uest took the stage around 12:50 a.m. and began with slower, more obscure Jackson songs. The crowd stuck around, but save a few exceptions, just swayed to and fro uncertainly. It wasn't until 2:15 when he morphed from The Jackson 5's "Maybe Tomorrow" to Ghostface Killah's sample-heavy track, "All That I Got Is You," that a cheer arose. When "A-B-C" led into Naughty by Nature's wildly contagious "O.P.P.," the frenzy took the temperature in the room up at least another 5 degrees. ?uest then should've realized he was in the presence of O.G. hip-hop disciples, and gone forth from there.

After taking The Jackson 5's "I Want You Back," into Kris Kross' "Jump," transitioning into Jay Z's "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)" would have set the room ablaze. Michael Jackson's "Human Nature" predictably gave way to SWV's "Right Here." ?uest would've won more converts, though, if he'd taken that into Nas' "It Ain't Hard to Tell," or (hipster glory!) Toro Y Moi's cover of the original song.

However, ?uest reverted back to spinning lesser-known and less danceable classics. The crowd did not just part; it thinned noticeably. The obviously good-natured ?uestlove took note and half-jokingly reprimanded the crowd that he was there to cover 40 years of material, not just 1982.

The event's promotional flyer promised a three-hour set by ?uestlove, and at 3:30 a.m., he had taken no break other than to swill Vitaminwater, and was still going hard on the turntables. Heat be damned, non-believers notwithstanding, he came to preach, and if you couldn't take it, you could get out the hell out of The Church.