Being a fellow EDM Maniac my daily schedule literally follows the infamous catch phrase “Eat, Sleep, Rave, Repeat”. Living in Los Angeles does not help either being the entertainment capital of the world; the city has become of the major cities in the world to be in if you want to see a major EDM artist grace the decks at a local venue any day of the week.
Recently I had the honor of attending EPIC 2.0 with Eric Prydz at the Hollywood Palladium venue in Hollywood, Ca. I went to the show with a sense of anticipation as I had seen and heard rave reviews about the show (having it toured around the US and making stops at some major cities). I personally had seen Eric Prydz play at a few major festivals but never truly got to experience his set in the way some of his longtime fans had praised to me about it before in the past. I went in with an open mind, as I was well aware something Eric Prydz excels at is performing under a various personalities with each carrying a different musical composure, something that not every artist can accomplish successfully.
I got to the Hollywood Palladium promptly at 8:30 seeing how the show was set to start at 9PM and as always I am not too fond of the long crowds at the entrance or missing out on a minute of a show (you could say I am an early bird and for a hefty ticket price tag, I can’t blame myself). As I got to the front of the security check point I was unexpectedly told that due to a few technical difficulties with a few led screens of the stage setup, everyone would have to wait a bit while the issue was resolved (no problem).
However when the small issue turned into waiting till 10PM to get on the dance floor for the show to even start; I could tell that a few attendees were getting restless just from waiting. They did allow the crowd to pass the security check and lounge around in the lobby of the Palladium however it got crowded and stuffy fairly fast with the building crowd.
Needless to say the show (besides having a one hour late start) started at 10pm and went off without a hitch. I was greeted to the musical journeys of both Jeremy Orlander and Fehrplay, both having their own set to start warming up the crowd for the main act. One thing I must point out was besides the musical selection, which composed mostly of a trance and electro house track list; the openers had very little to few lighting visuals. I’ve always been someone who enforces how a lighting technique always adds on to a show value and whether it was due to the technical issues with the led screens the only lighting they had to work with was with some dark blue lights up until Eric Prydz graced the stage. At times it felt like the crowd felt lost with what was going on.
By the time 12:15AM rolled around Eric Prydz finally approached the decks; needless to say he wasted no time in getting the show going in full gear with a deep base and amazing lighting sequence, reading “EPIC 2.0 INITIATED” on a 3-D wall panel in front of the DJ booth he was stationed in. Starting off with “Rotonda”, I knew from the beginning that this show was going to be unlike any other I had witnessed this year and indeed I was not. Switching throughout his Prydz, Cirez D, and Pryda personas in the night, Eric gave me one of the most exquisite light show/visual productions that I had seen at any show by far this year. With the led panels (finally working by the time his set came around) telling a story and changing with every song, 3-D holograms, and lasers which seemed to have been so close you felt like they could be touched, I was left in awe from such a production and at times felt like the flashes turned the inside of the venue from night to day.
I must say though the track selection varied throughout the night, depending on what persona Eric was portraying. Something that stood out to me was when he dropped his remix of “Personal Jesus” where the led panels reconstructed a church-like setting and something just something about that moment, stood out that when I looked around, everyone in the crowd was in unison with one another like in a holy environment you would find at a church. I guess you can say EDM is like a religion at times because it’s a genre that brings people together to celebrate and enjoy the time we spend with one another.
Closing off the night were his hits “Pjanoo”, “Everyday”, “Allein”, and (with an encore his world-renowned remix hit) “Midnight City”. Not realizing that the show ended at just 2AM I was expecting a 3-4AM closing time seeing how this show was no exception but as always I am understanding as Eric has been touring all over the US; something that really takes the energy out of a person. I finally got to experience that Eric Prydz show that I had heard so much about. Its safe to say though that the show was not for everyone; at times I felt like something was missing or that the crowd would get lost in what was being played. But perhaps that’s who Eric Prydz is — a man of many sounds and personas that transcend the average “night out.”
Eddy Leon for EDM Maniac
