Show Lineup: DRINKURWATER, Layz, Ray Volpe, ATliens, Excision
Venue: Tucson Arena
Date: February 18, 2024
Intro:
As an indie kid at heart, this night showed a side of me I never knew existed. More specifically, I have entered an EDM phase for the first time ever. Excision changed my whole perspective on the genre and my opinions on raves, making me want to seek more out in the future. I've been to music festivals with EDM artists and enjoyed it, but the atmosphere at a festival cannot be compared to a rave. The visuals and effects are no where near the level of an artist-focused rave, and I feel everyone needs to experience something like that at least once. Not to mention, this was a crazy lineup for a Tucson show and a night I'll never forget.
About the Show:
By the time I arrived, it was right before Ray Volpe came on stage. I had seen him in November at the Dusk music festival, and he matched that energy during the NEXUS tour. He was my introduction to dubstep, and I'm grateful I had enough room to headbang this time. There were also mosh pits that formed around me during his set, and I jumped right in. I felt right at home when I recognized a few of his songs, serving as the perfect opener for the other two artists in the lineup.
Next up was ATliens, who also played a great set. Several of my friends have either heard of them or seen them live, so I had high hopes. Needless to say, I was not disappointed. Rather than dubstep, ATliens is more of a dark trance/bass artist. I have never seen an EDM artist that followed those genres live, but I definitely would again!
Lastly, the main event: Excision. Wow wow wow. The set, visuals, lasers, drops -- everything was perfect. Not to mention, DANCING SHREK?? Vomiting Shrek? If you're an active Tik Tok user, you likely know exactly what I'm talking about. There was a song with the "scary Shrek visual" which was refreshing and really cool to see live, but it definitely wasn't the star of the show. The pyrotechnics, other 3D visuals, and smidge of drums and bass songs that were thrown in made this show stand out. My personal favorite genre of EDM is drums and bass, so my dopamine levels skyrocketed when Excision played some. Overall, his talent really changes the game for EDM and I would love to see him live again.
Conclusion:
Splurge a little and see any of the artists on this lineup if they are in a city near you. Although Excision blew my expectations out of the water, I feel he will continue to go up from here. You won't find visuals like these anywhere else or a crowd that is as high energy as this one. Even if you're not a rave-goer or an EDM fan, you should try it once and see if your perception changes!
Reviewer Name: Elizabeth McCluskey
Date of Review: February 20, 2024