[CONCERT REVIEW] Excision, Zomboy, & Vaski at Congress Theater, Chicago

[CONCERT REVIEW] Excision, Zomboy, & Vaski at Congress Theater, Chicago

[CONCERT REVIEW] Excision, Zomboy, & Vaski at Congress Theater, Chicago

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excision zomboy and vaski at congress theater

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It was a chilly night in Chicago, but you wouldn’t you be able to tell as the thousands of concert goers heading into Congress Theater to see dubstep masters Excision, Zomboy and Vaski were dressed in hardly anything at all; braving the savage cold outside for the fire-breathing dubstep sounds inside. You could feel the anticipation in the sold out crowd as kids began filing inside the doors, complete with security pat down, and the first beers began to pour (assuming you were at least 21 in the 17+ show). Neon and kandi beads abound as we made our first rounds through the theater chatting up concert goers, staff, and bartenders. Word on the street had it that Excision was able to pump an extra 42,000 watts through his system. It was going to be a great night.

Vaski
vaski in concertClick here for more photos
 

Vaski was the relative newcomer to the crew of seasoned dubstep producers, although you wouldn’t be able to tell as he had the sold out crowd amped from the first beat. The 22 year old Minneapolis DJ was a perfect start to the night as he smashed together a blend of genres from dubstep and trap to electro house. One of the highlights of his set, at least to me, was his production of “Where You Wanna Go,” which the crowd was more than eager to blast off to.

I was able to catch Vaski in the wings of the theater and have a short chat later that night. “This was the biggest crowd I’ve ever played in front of. It was crazy,” he commented. He also mentioned that his girlfriend and mom were able to make it out that night to see how a real Chicago show is thrown down. I imagine they left impressed…and deaf.

 

 

Zomboy
zomboy in concertClick here for more photos
 

Out of all the performers at Congress Theater that night, I think Zomboy must have been the most fun to watch. Hailing from the UK, Joshua Mellody, aka Zomboy, was like a dubstep puppeteer onstage, dramatically visualizing every beat in his sonic repertoire as the crowd obediently swayed to and fro.

With the lights dancing from behind the giant black curtain that was hiding Excision’s stage, Zomboy took control of the sold out crowd and blasted favorites such as “City 2 City” and “Nuclear” straight to the awaiting masses’ eardrums. Jumping and sweating, the crowd could not get enough and if you didn’t know it was 20 degrees outside, you would have thought it summer inside Congress Theater.

 

 

Excision
excision in concertClick here for more photos
 

And finally it was time for the black curtain to be dropped and Excision to unveil what everyone had come to witness: the 100,000+ watts of sound power that is the 3d-projected Executioner stage. It truly is mind blowing (make sure you watch our hilarious video below) as the first notes come trembling through the speaker and the ground all around you begins to shake; as much from the massive bass as from the thousands of jumping fans. Through some earlier conversations we learned the true size of that sound: 142,000 watts that night. I had the opportunity to watch the first 20 minutes from the press pit (inches from the speakers) and not only did it supersonically vaporize any kidney stones I might have had, it left me near deaf for the coming days.

To be completely honest I’m not the most familiar with all of Excision’s discography, so I couldn’t tell you if he played this or that. I can tell you that he dropped one of the most massive remixes of Jibbs’ “Does Your Chain Hang Low” I’ve ever heard. Congress Theater went nuts, and rightfully so. Excision continued to smash through beats as the two massive projectors spun a story of hypnotizing images and fighting Mech Warriors over the giant Executioner Stage. It was more than a pleasure to watch as Excision wove together light and sound to immerse the massive audience into his world, coming through to the end of the night sweating and exhausted, as if every member in the crowd had actually endured a grueling sojourn.

The end of the night seemed to come too quick, as thousands of quivering bodies spilled onto the streets of Chicago in search of a ride home, or wherever the night would take them. Big props to Excision, Zomboy and Vaski for putting on an insane show and to React Presents for consistently bringing in great talent. Now, if you haven’t seen the video ‘meme’ we made from the show, it’s time to show you what more than 100,000 watts of sound does to a person. This shot was taken as Excision unveiled the Executioner stage and dropped his first track.
 

 

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Kris Hi there! Founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Sights and Sounds. Been doing this music writing thing for most my life in one way or another and loving every opportunity it's brought along. Shoot me an email if you have any suggestions for the website, comments, or if you just want to chat. Cheers!