David Rudderham
Connector Editor
Halloween is not only one of many holidays where it is appropriate to dress up, but it is the only holiday where you’re obligated to. On a normal day in the EDM world, no one is obligated to dress up, but a lot of people do.
Wicked Halloween at the Tsongas Center was one day before Halloween and, being such, the theatrical side of the EDM show was turned up to 11. An incredible amount of people showed up in costume only to be sweating profusely through their tight wigs and makeup that the crowd all together probably weighed less coming out of the show then when it went in.
The floor was packed wall to wall even before Benny Benassi, the headlining DJ, took the stage. Though the opening acts, Above & Beyond, and Audien, had the crowd pumped up and jumping up and down in a synchronised fashion, it was very clear from the beginning of Benassi’s set why he was the headliner.
When he was on stage, the whole place shook; my nostrils felt like they were vibrating according to the songs’ lowest bass frequency. The speakers inside Tsongas were pushing so much air the crowd nearly felt a breeze every time the bass dropped.
What’s remarkable about Benassi is that he is 47 years old and has a long history with electronic music that dates back to the late ’80s when he started DJing in his home country of Italy.
He ended up working for years before getting a major break in the early 2000s with his famous dance song, “Satisfaction.”
As a testament to his work ethic, the same night he performed at the Tsongas, he went to Boston to perform at Umbria Prime directly after.
This is the side of EDM that some fans fear that others have forgotten. It’s easy to go to show as fans and get caught up in the performance and crazy lights and blaring speakers that we forget that the DJs we love so much are actually nerds that have mastered their computers and technology.
Years ago it was precisely this nerdy image that was so difficult to shed. Back then genres such as “Acid Trance” were still a big deal and people were into electronic music simply because it was strange.
Artists such as Moby and Aphex Twin, both of whom are in their 40s as well, were known for being experimental with their sounds and constantly creating music. The image of techno and the nerdiness of it all was still prevalent when Benassi was up and coming. Eminem had even referenced Moby in a mocking way with his song “Without Me” in his lyrics saying, “And Moby? You can get stomped by Obie… Nobody listens to techno.”
Fast forward to today and EDM has completely taken over music. Zedd did a collaboration with Ariana Grande, a famous young pop star that got her fame off of a Nickelodeon show. All over the internet and in the media you can find articles noting that DJs such as Deadmau5 and Skrillex are among the wealthiest musicians in the world.
This might explain why artists like Benassi don’t play too much of their older stuff anymore, with the exception of their major hits. Back then EDM was considered background music for a club played by faceless performers. Now they’ve successfully made names for themselves and their setlist has to reflect this change in music.
Today, big budget theatrics for large EDM concerts attract thousands of young people. What’s really funny is that today, in a room with loud electronic music and a large group of kids, the coolest person in that room is actually a 47-year-old that plays with computers.
