There’s not much to say about Basslights that hasn’t been said already. For the forth straight year (third at Hampton, VA) this otherworldly two day festival has proven to be the premiere destination for lovers of the weird, wobbly, and wonderfully bass-filled side of the music spectrum. Affectionately dubbed “The Mothership” by everyone from Phish phans to Bass Heads, the Hampton Coliseum has been the location for the past three years and it has proven up to the task every single time.
Not exactly state-of-the-art with bells and whistles, The Coliseum is simply a beautifully constructed concert venue. As in years past, the entire venue was General Admission…meaning attendees were allowed to move around the seats as they wished, giving it a true indoor festival vibe. The perks of being able to go down to the floor whenever you pleased, then go back up to the mezzanine for a breather to digest the unreal light show courtesy of Pretty Lights cannot be understated.
As for the music, it was supplied by head honchos Bassnectar and Pretty Lights as well as openers; Beats Antique, Chromeo, Exmag, and Eliot Lipp. For those not in the know, these two fan-bases travel far and wide to see their beloved artists. Some might even say these are the two most well traveled fan-bases in all of electronic music, so it came as no surprise that it was filled to the brim with seasoned vets from both sides.
Night 1
Lineup- Exmag, Beats Antique, Pretty Lights, Bassnectar
There’s no feeling quite like first walking in night one with that “we’re finally here” smile beaming across your face. Very filled already for an opening set, the crowd was loving themselves some Exmag. Perfectly executing the warmup set, the trio had everyone in attendance moving and grooving in unison; it seemed like everyone was already on edge to see what the night will bring.
Beats Antique graced the stage next and commanded attention with calling on “Roustabout” to be the opening track. With the eerie carnival vibes filling The Coliseum they soon transitioned to Bassnectar’s remix..jaws were left on the ground. The one-of-a-kind sound supplied by Beats was eaten up from the crowd and it was easy to see the overlap in fans they had with the PLF and Bass Heads.
To the delight of the crowd Derek Vincent Smith next took the stage accompanied by his unmistakable light show. More playing the role of opener, DVS laid down a chill, head nodding set meant to prepare you for what was about to be in store later in the night. Of course dropping some classics like “I Can See It In Your Face”, it was a tried and true DJ set from one of the lords of groove.
And then we have Mr. Lorin, Bassnectar himself. It seemed as if the entire crowd had a pent-up energy the entire night waiting for the big moment when he’d finally take the reigns. Stepping on with his ridiculous stage presence, we were treated to a beautiful opening of “Colorstorm” and he didn’t let up from there. “Boomarang”, “Hologram”, “Thursty”, “Feeling Good”, “Loco Ono”, and “Tap Ho” were just a few of the meticulously selected tracks laid down that night. While it was a closing set enjoyed by all, it proved to only be an appetizer of things to come tomorrow.
Night 2
Lineup- Eliot Lipp, Chromeo, Bassnectar, Pretty Lights
With the previous night now only a memory, Sunday’s hopes were sky high with the hugely anticipated PL closing set looming in front of us. Stepping on first was a favorite of WRR, Eliot Lipp. Possibly due to collecting their brains from the night before, the crowd was a little late coming in compared to night one. No matter though, as Lipp dropped gorgeous tracks like “Watch The Shadows” & “Future Forest” and had the crowd moving and grooving in PLM style.
Chromeo stepped on next, and while highly regarded in the electronic community, something about it seemed odd. The crowd wasn’t immersed as deeply as they were for Beats Antique the night before, and their name seemed very out of place on the lineup. They gave it their all and laid down their retro DJ set, but it appeared as if the majority of the crowd started to fill in towards the latter half of their set.
Bassnectar tore it down night two. The overall feeling was so much more intense than that of the first; choosing to open with “Freestyle” got the crowd into a frenzy from the first second and it seemed as if Lorin saved his best for last. Playing some “Raw Charles” and a personal favorite “Ready 2 Rage”, he gave us all more than we could’ve ever expected from a second set with the bass god.
Given the honor of closing out the two day ride, Pretty Lights put his stamp on the fest night two and showed us why the funky, groovy side of electronic music will never die. Going back and forth between old mellow classics and heavy PL masterpieces, Derek put on a clinic for everyone in attendance. From “The Time Has Come” to “Still Night” and every single classic you can think of in between, he managed to keep it unbelievably fresh while playing a virtual “Best of Pretty Lights” set. The crowd couldn’t have been any more into it if they tried, and it ended the weekend on the weird, funky high note that we were all hoping for.
Another aspect to take note of is the huge amount of space attendees had to move and thrash around while in the crowd. For an event that was sold out, they certainly could’ve sold more tickets but instead had the best interests of the fans in mind. Taking everything into account: crowd, vibes, caliber of music, and venue, Basslights is forever our #1 when it comes to end of year festivals. Pretty Lights and Bassnectar are two of the best in the world at what they do, and the crowd they attract is equally as great. We can only hope there will be another round of madness next year, as you can be sure we’ll be there again in attendance.
(Photo Credit- The-Re-Up.com)
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