First of all, the line to get into the Showbox SODO for the Bassnectar show was long. Not just an annoying twenty minute wait, but a several-blocks long, hour and a half wait in the pouring rain that really made one ponder if the $26 ticket was worth it. Most people in line remained relatively calm but some found it hard to keep their anger in check as they became more and more soaked. From what I could overhear, there had been some major snafu at the door which caused over 600 people who decided to pick up their tickets via will call or guest list to be left in the rain, missing both opening djs Emancipator and Elliot Lipp. It sucked and resulted in disdain for the Showbox management for their ill-preparedness and lack of a little rain protection.
Finally making it in the door a little after 11PM, I was smacked in the face with the overwhelming fragrant cocktail of weed, BO, and sweat-soaked bodies. Costumed characters, scantily clad girls, hippies (both young and old), and eager youngsters filled the main floor of the SODO. Super strong beams of pink and purple light penetrated the stage as the well-known “omnitempo maximalist” dj Lorin Ashton aka Bassnectar shouted, “MAKE SOME FUCKING NOISE!” which was met with a roar from the packed warehouse.
…I had walked into a rave.
Like any good rave, this particular one was an amalgamation of all things overly stimulating. I looked to the crowd to see several multicolored lit glow balls, glow sticks, glow necklaces, and several other things of the glowing nature. Eerily moving through the intense beams of light with his waist-length hair bopping up and down, Bassnectar slightly resembled a marionette being controlled by some unruly puppet master. One barely saw much of Lorin’s face other than the top corner of his forehead as he quickly moved behind his industrial weaponry of dj equipment. Along the warehouse walls, large plasma screens featured what seemed to be live art in the making. A fantastical yet dark image of a face with dark Elvin qualities and long hair slowly appeared—perhaps a fantastical rendering of Bassnectar himself? Throughout the night these images changed and mutated.
Literally blasting through the packed out space (I could actually feel the air whooshing out of the speakers), Bassnectar’s music was mostly made up of gut-punching and sinister-sounding dubstep tracks. “Bomb the Blocks” got the insatiable crowd fired up with its hip hop and lyrical flows riding on top of something that could have come off of an Aphex Twin or Amon Tobin album. This was followed by “Boombox,” a track featuring wicked bassline drops and anxiety-fueling crescendos. Effortlessly, Lorin transitioned from this broken beat mayhem to the dirty ease of reggae dubstep.
Bassnectar also threw down an occasional drum and bass anthem a la heavy hitters Concord Dawn and Pendulum, which of course sent the place into pandemonium. The music was only intensified by the robotic light show with vivid LEDs and powerful spotlights sweeping over the hand-waving crowd. Undeniably one of the more frenzied sights I have ever beheld. Much to the relief of my screaming ear drums, Bassnectar muted the music to say thanks to his touring company, the crowd, and his openers Elliot Lipp from NY and Emancipator out of PDX. This was followed by a set of mainstream hip hop hits such as “I Got 5 On It” by Luniz and a couple Missy Elliot collaborations which then eased into even more dirty hip hop tracks, encouraging girls to get on their men’s shoulders and plenty of ecstasy-fueled dry hump dancing from the crowd.
If you are somewhat unfamiliar with this genre and are planning on attending a Bassnectar show, I have some words of advice. Be ready to make friends in this crowd. The memory of the horrendously long line was quickly forgotten. Everyone seemed to be in a wonderful mood, if not inebriated and/or drug addled. Making eye contact with anyone for too long may get some strange returns of Cheshire Cat-esque facial expressions or your own personal glow stick performance. And try to remember to bring your earplugs; Lorin even suggested that people get some from one of the booths in the midst of his set. Do what he says, unless you prefer early onset of tinnitus.
Luckily (especially for those of us who spent so much time in line), Bassnectar played an exceptionally long three hour set. As I eased out of the Showbox SODO and gulped down some fresh air, I realized that simply listening to Bassnectar’s albums on your headphones or hi-fidelity home stereo systems will not do this music justice. His stuff is built to blast from massive sub woofers with air horns that create hurricanes and send people into altered state of consciousness.
