An Amazing Hodgepodge
by D3athAndR3birth on 10/8/11The Norva - NorfolkRating: 5 out of 5First off, be prepared for a variety of people. There were people aged 14 to 40. Parents: Do not let your kids 14 to 16 go to this, even 17 is kind of pushing it. I only say this due to the massive amount of profanity, alcohol and even marijuana use within the crowd and the performers. Aside from that, there were people from all walks of life: Hipsters, metal heads, excessive amounts of "bros," women dressed in full white corset dresses all the way to dressed in barely anything at all, ironic t-shirts, ex and current military, you name it. The spread actually added a good amount to the show. The first act, whoever they were, we kind of "meh". The entire set consisted of the same beat overlaid with various bleeps and bloops, if you will. The "song" never ended and it seemed like the band wouldn't either. Foreign Beggars was after that. Initially, I was disappointed by them, considering I'm not a huge fan of rap or the fact that they seemed intent on using a new, unnecessary curse every ten seconds or so; however, half way through their set they started rapping to Flux Pavilion and other popular dubstep tracks, which got the crowd going immediately. Considering I couldn't understand half of what they were saying, it was entertaining if only for the sheer fact that it was a romp through every popular dubstep song released in the past five years. 12th Planet came on third and the crowd went insane. If you go to a sold out show, expect to not be able to move at all; it didn't take away from the enjoyment, but I never realized how many people were into this genre these days. 12th came out smoking, drinking, standing on tables, and dropping incredibly heavy beats, but he never let up. Each song was great in its own right and I literally have nothing bad to say for 12th Planet at all; he'd be a great headlining show on his own. Warning for Skrillex: If you don't wear earplugs to concerts, I don't blame you; neither do I. After years of concerts, I figured my ears would have been hardened to anything I might hear that night. I was very wrong. Twenty feet from the rail and I could feel my insides literally rattling with the bass. A good feeling and expected from dubstep, but its also a fair warning. Moving on, Skrillex's set was absolutely mind blowing. The stage itself looked like a blanch white "Fortress of Solitude;" however, computer generated art was projected on the stage the entire time causing various effects from causing the pillars to look like pistons, to a giant Portal-esque robotic eye, to amazing digital effects to go with the music. A second warning: If you have ever had a seizure, DO NOT GO TO THIS SHOW. There is enough rapid flashing and color changes to cause a seizure in someone who has never had one. The music was masterfully crafted together, blending major hits with lesser known songs perfectly. Each piece though sounded like a completely new, if not better, song. I'll admit that I couldn't tell how much was pre-mixed prior to the show and how much was actively being crafted in the present. It didn't matter though; the crowd, as expected, became a seething mass of people pushing, jumping, crowd surfing, and all around manic behavior. Once again, this was only an enhancement to the feel already. To be fair though, I about halfway through, I moved to the back to get more air and take in the whole view of the show. While there was only about one hundred square feet of free space, there were people dancing, spinning various forms of light, and a few that looked like they had used far too much of whatever drug they were on, all things to be expected of a concert like this and once again all good things. There really isn't a clear way to explain the experience; the combination of all of these positives resulted in a show that defies at least my grasp on vocabulary. This is literally a show that must been seen to be understood. My best friend, who had only listened to twenty minutes of dubstep prior, left blown away and a huge fan. Sonny may be a kid compared to a lot of his fans, but the mastery his crew and he show over set design and music is really in a league of its own, especially within this genre. If you're on the fence, buy the tickets now. If they're sold out, try and get them any way you can. This is an event that should not be missed for any reason.