Bassnectar @ Hard Rock Live

Last Thursday, October 20^th, I had the opportunity to do some “first hand research” in the industry of live music events. Hard Rock Live was proud to present Lorin Ashton, stage name: Bassnectar. He is currently midstride in his Divergent Spectrum tour, promoting his last album that released in early August of this year.

If you don’t know who Bassnectar is (it’s okay, many people don’t), he’s an electronic artist/producer/DJ that melts faces on a nightly basis. He single handedly kicks his followers, Bassheads, into a frenzy of dancing.

Key attributes of his music are formulated combinations of double and triple meters, layers of synthesized sounds and samples and it’s all graced with a heaping helping of wobble bass.

Opening for Bassnectar was Michigan’s SuperDre. The super funky, afro-wielding chicka set the tone for the night with her minimalist style of electronic music. She was very thankful for the support and exposure for her latest release Follow the Fro.

Following SuperDre was the collaboration artist known as AmpLive. Working as a producer and DJ, AmpLive has collaborated with Akon, Tokyo Police Club, MGMT, Linkin Park and Bassnectar. His mash-up style was ever present during his performance, remixing top 40 tracks of today.

Lastly, Bassnectar took the stage to a rowdy, sold out crowd of 3000. For being relatively unknown, Bassnectar sells out nearly all of the shows on his tours. The energy was INTENSE. The show production was stellar. It seemed that no expense was spared on the lighting set-up, which added a visual layer that was as potent as the audio.

The combination of bass, lights, dancing and beer is exactly why I want to be involved in this industry. The crowd’s emotion is an unduplicated feeling except for at these live shows. Participating in an event where all attendees are there for a common reason multiplies the excitement and energy. The events for some can be compared to a religious experience.