Electronic dance music artist Kill Paris performs for a crowd Oct. 16 at the LC Pavilion. The artist served as the opener for Bassnectar. Credit: Mark Batke / Photo editor
Let me start this article by saying that I have been to a lot of concerts. When I say a lot, I mean an absurd amount. This was my second show this week. But with all the shows I have been to, Bassnectar has been the best experience of my life.
Not only was the sound quality and music amazing, but the people were the best I have ever encountered in my life. I was a little nervous going in — it was my first ever electronic dance music show, and I wasn’t sure if I would know anyone there.
The doors at the Lifestyle Communities Pavilion opened at 7 p.m. and it was after 8 p.m. when the first opener, Son of Kick went on. I thought he was pretty good. A lot of his mixes came from popular R&B or rap songs so the crowd seemed to enjoy them.
The second opener, Kill Paris, really got the crowd going. His music carried perfectly inside the LC and the bass shook the walls all the way through the bar and the bathroom. The crowd was dancing everywhere and getting warmed up for Bassnectar.
Bassnectar was exactly what I expected. I had heard some of his music at the festivals I had been to at Ohio University, but I wouldn’t call myself a fan. I walked around socializing with people and eventually found a place in the back where I could watch the show and fully listen to the music.
This is where the show got really interesting. Not only did I take in the whole show and experience, but I also got to meet the real people behind EDM shows. They are the ones who made this concert stand out from the others I have been to.
The first person I met who really showed me that this show was different was Jake. Jake Kolosei is a 28-year-old nurse from Gary, Ind. He told me about his first few Bassnectar shows — he has been to 29 including this show.
He told me about a friend of his who he met at a show, only because the friend of his, who then was a stranger, is confined to a wheelchair and Kolosei offered to help him go to the bathroom. They now frequent shows together and are even going to the Halloween show this year together. While I was interviewing Kolosei, there was one thing that became clear as to why he loved Bassnectar shows.
“It’s definitely the energy,” Kolosei said. “Good people, great fun.”
This became more and more clear to me as the night went on. I interviewed two girls, both huge Bassnectar fans, before he came on for the night. The two girls had met in Indianapolis and driven into Columbus together just for the show.
Anna Pinkston, a 21-year-old from Indiana, said she had never seen him perform live before but had listened to his music for year. When asked if she was excited, she said she could “leave her face here.”
Her friend, 23-year-old Ali Hall from Louisville, Ky., was attending her fifth show.
“The bass is just ridiculous,” Hall said.
I learned this first hand. While standing against the wall to watch the show, I could feel the bass vibrating through the wall into my body. Everything in the venue seemed to be vibrating with the songs and it created a perfect atmosphere for dancing and fun. The music was catchy and extremely infectious when it came to dancing, but the best and most distinct characteristic about this show for me was definitely the people.
For most of my time up against the wall in the back, I hung out with a girl who was the closest thing I can imagine to a real-life saint. She continuously went to the bar and bought three or four water bottles at a time. She would come back to me and dance next to me until she saw someone who she thought needed help. She would then walk over to them and give them one of the water bottles she had purchased for absolutely nothing in return.
I asked her why she did this, and her only response was that she “knows how that feels” and that she wanted to help them feel better.
I saw her give water to at least 10 complete strangers, as well as all of her friends once they reconnected. She offered me a hair-tie and water repeatedly to help me deal with the heat inside the building, and asked for nothing back.
Katie is the perfect example of the atmosphere throughout the entire venue. I have never been in a concert where I felt like everyone around me would help me if I needed it and it was a great feeling.
If you have never been to an EDM show, I would suggest you try it. You never know, it could be the greatest move you ever take
