Before this past Saturday I had no idea who Bassnectar was, or why someone that I had never heard of was going on in between such large acts as Devo and The Smashing Pumpkins. Not until I saw the crew setting up the stage did I even realize that this was just a DJ, and not even a band at all. But once the lcds and the bass cut on it was hard to resist dancing, and like Poindexter from the original Nerds movie, my pelvic area just began to gyrate uncontrollably.
I've listened to my share of Djs, and seen a number of them at shows performing, but this performance was extraordinary. Immediately, the crew of us migrated toward the stage where there was basically a large dance party going down, and for the next hour or so we danced and sweated out the alcohol of the hours prior. I wish I could explain this genre better, but there were so many different elements mixed in that it makes it hard to. Everything from the fusion of dubstep, gangster rap, punk, reggae, and rock was there captivating all spectators alike.
It wasn't until the show was nearly over that I started to realize that I needed to find out more about this guy, and where his catalog could be picked up. It was the oddest moment to me to have never heard of this guy, but to have walked away after the two days that I visited Forecastle thinking that his performance was the absolute climax of my experience. I originally was interested in seeing Devo, and Cake, which were both great, and since I was a teenager had wanted to check out The Smashing Pumpkins live, but when it all boiled down to it, Bassnectar blew the Pumpkins off the stage. If you haven't already, I'd suggest checking them out, and preferably, I'd say check them out live.
Photo Courtesy of Damian Gerlach
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