Talk about a refreshing concert-going experience, this was the night! After seeing my fair share of up and down shows over the course of the past few months, it was nice to finally enjoy a musical performance from start to finish. Now, unlike most of the events that I attend, the feeling to this one was drastically different. I think the term that most accurately sums up the night is “spiritual.” Whether it was the amazing live artwork (done by legendary psychedelic artists Alex and Allyson Grey) or the between-set meditating sessions (also led by Alex Grey), RE:VISION was unlike anything I have ever witnessed. Oh yeah, that reminds me, I haven’t even talked about the music yet. With names like Psydell, Late Night Radio, Paul Basic, Phutureprimitive, Eskmo, & Michal Menert all playing sets throughout the evening, the atmospheres inside Alhambra Palace was electric! There were so many smiling faces, an entire sea of people dancing without a care, and more than enough good vibes to go around.
 
Reading music:

 

I really wanted to get to this show early enough to catch Late Night Radio (who I’ve only heard great things about lately) & Paul Basic. Unfortunately, I’m not the most timely individual and let’s just say that the security at the venue was not coordinated particularly well. Just to give you an idea, when I showed up near 10:00pm, I was forced to wait outside with a fairly large crowd because apparently the building was already over capacity. How this happens? I have no clue. Many of us waiting outside had already purchased tickets and I could tell that other people in the crowd were worried about whether they would be honored or not. Eventually, after waiting for about a half hour, I was finally granted admittance. Having said that, if anyone that actually went out of their way to buy tickets and still did not make it inside that night, I completely understand your frustration. I go to tons of live music events in Chicago and for an establishment to be this unorganized is unacceptable. Okay, now let’s move onto some more positive thoughts, aka the music.

From the moment Phutureprimitive took over the stage, I was instantly hooked! Why did no one ever tell me that this producer sounds just like a mixture of Minnesota and NiT GriT? His bass-heavy set was far and away my favorite of the night and I’ll definitely be keeping close tabs on this musician from now on. After his time was over, Eskmo took to the decks. I have quite an interesting relationship with this artist because it feels like every time I’ve had a opportunity to see him (whether it be a show or festival) previously, I somehow drop the ball. Well, not this time! No sir! I was going to take in every single note that he felt like throwing in my direction! His set began off with some more high-energy stuff and slowly slipped into the truly abstract as it progressed. Then the moment we had all been waiting for was finally upon us, Michal Menert. Having seen him perform live on many occasions during the past few years, I was 100% sure that he would bring his A game. He always does! But what really sets him apart from all the other acts out there today, is his raw passion and emotion of stage. He just comes off as being very real, and that type of authenticity is definitely lacking in today’s music world.

Well, there you have it. For those of you that didn’t get the chance to make it out to this show last Friday, hopefully this little recap can assist you in putting some of the pieces of the puzzle together. Excellent music is always fun to see live, but it’s even better when you’re surrounded by great people in a wonderful environment.
 

 

17

Add to the story...