Last night was the Skrillex concert at Roseland Ballroom. On the ticket, the time was 9:00. I got to the end of the long line that wrapped around the block around 9:30 behind a guy with a Trojan condom bandana wrapped around his head. I was in line until 10:15 when I was finally out of the cold and away from the little 16 year olds with their fake IDs drinking Gatorade mixed with who knows what. I could not breath with at that much glitter around me.
When I got in, Zane Lowe was on stage, rocking it! People were already going nuts dancing towards the front of the venue. I noticed that a lot of people there were clearly more concerned with their outfits than the music. There were neon bras and ripped shorts and bright fake tattoos and pink hair extensions everywhere. It was like 80s night back in college. I should have reminded one of these tiny bitches that her mom was waiting outside with her asthma medication.
But I digress . . . I went to the bar and tipped generously on a drink and a shot. From then on, I could go to that bartender and never have to wait for service among all the shirtless guys sweating all over the bar or even other girls showing way more skin than I was.
Zane Lowe was great. He played some great songs. He clearly is a fan of Jay-Z, playing “N**as in Paris” and “Empire State of Mind.” Then he slowed it down and shouted “DUBSTEP!” and broke it down. People went nuts, including myself. I realized that dubstep is this whole movement that is taking over the music industry and the clubs. Hell, Skrillex is nominated for like 5 Grammys! All day having had to explain . . . “Skrillex. . He is like a DJ but like Dubstep . . .” No one got it but these people GET IT!
Zane Lowe won me over by asking the crowd “Any metal-leather-wearing mother fuckers in the house?” and then busted a dubstep version of Rage Against the Machine and Metallica. I threw up devil horns and rocked out.
Spank Rock and A-Trak come on next. I was not a fan of Spank Rock so I left and bought a t-shirt and waited in the long bathroom line behind some girl throwing up in the trashcan wearing a purple sparkle bra. The bra looked less cute with the puke on it but to each their own I guess.
I came back up and saw the end of the performance. It was almost 1:00 so I assumed next would be Skrillex. I was wrong. Fool’s Gold came in next, which explained the random guy with a big Styrofoam brick of gold walking around before the performance. Fool’s Gold is a local Brooklyn artist. I think it was awesome for this performance to include such variety of artists. Fool’s Gold was great too. This was the first time I was not pissed the main artist was not on stage yet.
Skrillex came on around 2 AM. Everyone screamed. I ran through the crowd, escaping the guy who was clearly more enthralled at the thought that I might be interested in him than the fact that Skrillex was on stage. I would not be distracted during this.
It was kind of emotional, actually; seeing this tiny guy from LA rocking out performing for all of his fans. He has been kind of the face of this music movement, making strides for other local artists trying to do the same thing. He has come so far . . .my little baby’s growing up!
He had fairly minimal special effects given it was a DJ show. There was a screen behind him that most of the time featured a skeleton DJ that moved with Skrillex’s movements. His stage and his tables were all white which set him apart from all the dark black stage set-ups previously that night. Skrillex performed his big hits, “Bangorang, Kyoto, Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites.” He even played Benny Benassi’s “Cinema” which of course was nothing without the Skrillex remix.
He closed out the show with “First of the Year (Equinox)” and “Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites.” It was the coolest thing to hear everyone in the crowd scream “CALL 911 NOW!” together. I could feel my hair vibrating. He was clearly into it. When he performs, he bangs his head, sways, and dances. He has fun with it! It makes you want to be apart of his dance party.
I revoke my previous statement that Skrillex is better as a featured artist—last night he totally proved he can hold his own. Best new Artist this year MUST be Skrillex
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