You damn right…#afterthebreak!
Masquerade Motel Featuring Swedish House Mafia Presents
One Last Tour
Night 2
Los Angeles, California
03/09/13
I haven’t even started writing and already chills pecking at my skin. Relax.
If you joined me yesterday for our long awaited Tiesto showcase roundup, then you know my thoughts about EDM. Now. Throw everything I said out the phucking window. All cleared. Okay. Now you’re ready for my SHM highlights because boy were they a doozy. Minature camera, blob of people with some of the sexiest women from all around, lights, bright lights, fireworks, shady neighborhoods, and that was only in the first fifteen minutes.
Before Tiesto became my favorite ranking EDM artist there was a band of sweds who dragged this multi-10,000+-IPod music hoarder into this electronic subculture. They were Axwell, Steve Angello, and Sebastian Ingrosso otherwise known as “Swedish House Mafia”. You know them. They are probably the most western recongizable names in the house game. Consider them the EDM version of the Avengers or Justice League. Talented DJs & producers from across the Atlantic They became huge here a few years ago. Like many of you, “Save The World” was my first taste of them & John Martin. Three minds were way better than one (not counting Daft Punk’s double dose) and put together a classic mix of amazing remixes that have melted into popular culture. You all have heard Greyhound. Steel drums galore. Daft Punk light.
Maybe I was still on a electronic high from Tiesto, possibly I had a feeling this was going to be contender for Concert of year, or perhaps I wanted to start my concert week with bang? Either way, I found myself walking through shady crowded Chinatown late Saturday Night on my way to check into the very crowded Masquerade Motel being hosted by Swedish House Mafia & their many friends.
The whole shindig was setup like a tiny festival set up in Los Angeles only park. Starting at 4pm and ending at past midnight had EDC or Coachella written all over it. Trippy kids dancing in the middle of a field certainly took me to a world where my parents raged. 1960s to 2013. Music & Drugs. It’s all still the same. Don’t judge me for not trying it. Never had to because most concert goers bring me in by hurling puffs of smoke into my face. A whiff of one such blaze nearly knocked me off my feet during this show. Some amazing sticky icky.
Absolutely loved the freedom as music blasted all around us. No matter where you stood in Los Angeles Historic Park, you were apart of the madness. Food Vendors, Red Bull Stands, Sexy VIP area with flying dancers, made this motel feel alive at the seams. By the time I made it security the second time…because they wouldn’t allow my sniper camera lens in deeming it to be professional nature…there were ragers scattered all around in dire states. Some must have been partying since the park opened because they were incredibly beat from the looks of their morbid expressions.
We did some exploring, but ended up grabbing our spot in the massive-living-pushy-hoard of 35,000+ fans at the main stage before the vampire arose to fight their way to the front. The stage was a beast…a electronic beast with a skeleton of LCD screens rolling three stages high. Alesso, popular EDM artist, performed at the base level & kept us entertained until 10pm sharp rolled around. The curtain covered the stage, transforming the skeleton to it’s final form, and after a short video and hints of Greyhound the curtain dropped revealing Axwell, Angello, and Ingrosso bring their final LA show out the gate.
Oh, to see what we saw. That stage hit me with some many pretty lights over the course of 2 hours. They still haunt my dreams. Each song had it’s own slideshow. When Greyhound rolled, these animated colored Greyhounds raced around the DJ stage with god like speed. Others were silver kaleidoscopes, green lines, or devilish red with flames shooting up over the pit. Yes. Not only did they have lights, but add smoke…flames…and fireworks to the mixture and you have a light show worthy of a spectacle. You can do anything in a open park, remember that. They were great and all but nothing compared to the pretty…sexy is better term…girls up against the gate featured on the screens. Losing their bras. Many boys became men that night.
My favorite unexpected track was their remix of Usher’s Euphoria which they co-produced for 2012’s “Looking 4 Myself”. But this was the best collection of hits from their catalog a fan could experience — “Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall/The Veldt”, “In My Mind”, ” Remix of Daft Punk’s “Harder, Better, Faster, Strong” & Temper Trap’s “Sweet Disposition”, “One (Your Name)”, “Miami 2 Ibiza”, and so much more. We sang, we raved, made lights with our gloves, put ladies on our shoulders, and more to show the guys that we came to celebrate their departure with memorable vigor.
In case you were wondering, we all lost our shit when “Don’t Worry Child” hit towards the end of the set. They dropped the beat and you could hear 35,000 people chanting in harmony. Add fireworks and Oh boy. Talk about a chorus. John Martin’s vocals sound better in a open field. Yet, you could feel that we were close to the end. Something bittersweet to it all. I didn’t mind however. That didn’t stop them from requesting everyone to sit down on the muddy…because Night 1 featured a special guest of a rainstorm…grass then jump at their call. To see what they saw. A ocean of people creating waves. Only gift we could give them besides our money.
Their final song was Save The World with a hint of Don’t Worry Child reprised. We… I especially…danced like it was the end of the world. Iphone5 in hand. If I could be so lucky. Please Swedish House Mafia, if the world does reach some ‘judgement day’ like finale please come back and replay this moment once more. Because I didn’t care if the sun rose or the time hopped a hour ahead…you could’ve put a period to my life there and I’d die with a smile on my face. Never in a million years would that be my conclusion to a EDM show. Music from a IPod. Dancing in a field. How could I be so wrong? It’s more than that. Experience of feeling free. Not sure, but do know one thing…
…This is how it ended:
Afterwards, like at the end credits sequence of a flick, text scrolled thanking everyone for coming to the tune of “Don’t Worry Child”…punctuated by the motto: ‘We Came, We Raved, and We Loved it”. Didn’t want to record it. Wanted the pictures for they would be more memorable. For all good things must end.
Whether we accept it or not, after this run…Swedish House Mafia fades away but luckily their music will still be alive as long as you keep listening. Like I have during this writing session.
This unexpected raw showcase was a once in a lifetime moment that won’t be topped and happily I got to dance to the three talented men who notched a big spot in music history with their massive machine. It’s not too late…GO TO THIS SHOW!!!! Here are the tour dates. You’ll feel it too. Thank you for reading. We’ll be back soon with more stories.
Picture Highlights
