PRINTConcert Review: Bassnectar
Bassnectar didn't produce enough nectar during Friday's performance at The Blue Note
DAVID KENNEDY
Lorin Ashton, the DJ known as Bassnectar, mixes his sound for his fans at his concert at the Blue Note on Friday, Nov. 20, 2009 in Columbia.
November 21, 2009 | 10:00 p.m. CST
DJ Bassnectar packed The Blue Note Friday night for a sold out show. With so many raging fans jammed in tight, it was hard to tell whose sweat was whose. Despite much anticipation, the performance was average — inspiring enough for new fans to get a taste of the bass, but not enough of the nectar to quench old fans’ thirst.
The pit filled with freaks decked in everything from blinking light toys to neon fishnets and furry boots to Scooby-Doo costumes. In less than ten minutes into the performance, it got so wild that Bassnectar had to stop the music to scold the crowd for throwing water at the computers and electronic equipment. Once he got dried off, the heavy bass resumed and the drum beats got kickin’.
The audience can usually expect a few times in a set where Bassnectar lets off the bass thrust and starts to lightly build the momentum upward. At this point, fans start drooling in anticipation for a climactic heavy bass drop, that signature Bassnectar component. Unfortunately for Friday’s bash, the build-up wasn’t worth the hype.
This stop on the Cozza Frenzy tour was a weak showcasing of a solid album. The older songs Bassnectar wove in were too brief to be enjoyed. There was a flash of crowd favorite, “Blow”, but it was gone in a second. What was missing was familiarity. It was almost as if Bassnectar was trying too hard to force the mood and forgot his sound along the way. Usually his shows are multi-dimensional and for many personality types but not Friday’s gathering. Kid Cudi and Missy Elliott would have been much more appreciated if Bassnectar hadn’t only played hip-hop this go-around.
In the end, the heaviness wasn’t balanced with the softer side, and he went a little overboard on the bass. This made the performance overwhelming at some points. Despite the music not being up to par, the energy of the place attempted to make up for the gap. At one point, the balcony shook so hard it could have collapsed.
Bassnectar’s overall performance rings in at a mediocre five out of ten. There was enough of a Bassnectar element that newcomers could become interested, yet fans who have seen him before might have found it a shoddy show. Let’s hope it was just an off night and Bassnectar won’t make a habit out of this performance. Could it be that touring full-time has left him uninspired? We’ll leave that to Bassnectar to pull himself together.
Luba Korshunova, a student from the University of Missouri-St. Louis, twirls glow sticks before the ...
Fans wave glow sticks on the balcony of the Blue Note at the start of ...
Fans dance on the balcony of the Blue Note at the start of the Bassnectar ...
Twitter
Facebook
