Major Lazer
The Observatory
October 18, 2012
On Thursday night, EDM trio Major Lazer brought everything from dance hall, reggae, hip hop, house, electro, dubstep, moombahton, trap and drum & bass to The Observatory in Santa Ana. This bass-heavy bacchanal was unlike the typical dance music shows we attend, with lots of crowd interaction and get down music all night long. The venue which holds over 1,200 people was packed (yet not sold out) and felt like sauna with all of the sweaty, booty-popping fans in attendance. Not to mention that half the girls there were just wanting to express themselves to Diplo or drool over his hotness. And of course there were plenty of hot girls on stage twerking it for the guys as well.
Flashy lights and lasers adorned the room when Diplo, Jillionaire and Walshy Fire took to the stage to “get the party started,” as they yelled over the mic around 12am. Everyone followed suit putting their hands in the air and jumping up and down to all of the hard electro. The mic was noticeably on too loud as Walshy's voice echoed over the jamming reggae inspired sounds which were carefully spliced together with all of the banging EDM. It really didn't seem to matter however, as he incited everyone to put their lighters and cell phones up while their heart rates increased to the rhythms. They even incorporated hip-hop classics with this years hits like Jay-Z's “N*ggas in Paris.”
See Also:
*Top Five Worst Places to Get Your EDM News
*Jillionaire Says Major Lazer Can Free The Universe From Boredom at EDM Shows
*C'mon, No Doubt. We Can't Even Have a New Album Teaser? (Plus, a Collab with Major Lazer!)
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The trio did an impressive job controlling the crowd not only with the music which blended all types of genres together to create something quite memorizing, but also with their incredible stage presence and energy. Since Diplo, born Thomas Wesley Pentz, crowd surfed in the first 10 minutes of the show we knew we were in for a crazy night. At one point they encouraged everyone in the room to take off their shirts – including the ladies- and wave them in the air. Everyone listened and did as they were told by these masters. It wasn't long before they were demanding bubble butts to come on stage and dance with them. Let's just say things got excitingly dirty.
The large dance floor was invaded by hundreds of pure music lovers from all genres and walks of life. The hypnotizing Major Lazer sound brought them together to rage and have a great time. There were even bottle service clients at The Observatory – wtf? Though there were lots of cliché elements such as lasers and confetti, there was also plenty of raw energy in the air as the MC pumped up the crowd and Diplo waved the Major Lazer flag to encourage everyone to “Get Free.” In honor of their new album Free the Universe they also played some new songs with a Caribbean-inspired sound which had the dancers booty clapping and bouncing around the stage.
Playing their own remixes, edits and originals, Major Lazer took us through a musical journey with songs like Afrojack's “Pacha On Acid,” Damian Marley's “Welcome To Jamrock” to their own singles like “Get Free” and of course “Pon De Floor.” They definitely have put their stamp on EDM and proved that real music isn't restricted to one genre or style. The melodies, familiar lyrics and new dance anthems had everyone going from pop locking, salsa dancing, jumping up and down to smoking a dubbie with a stranger. Pure wickedness for a Thursday night in OC.
Personal Bias: Was really hoping to “express myself” to Diplo, but oh well, there's always next time!
The Crowd: Very diverse from EDM lovers, trapstyle dancers, hip-hop fans, lots of Latinos and Latinas.
Overheard in the Crowd: You really couldn't hear shit in there over the booming bass. Plus everyone was too busy dancing, but this one chick wouldn't even share a glow stick with me because she didn't “know me!” Wtf?
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