Dutch DJ extraordinaire Tiesto played this past Saturday at the Pacific Coliseum and yours truly was there for the showdown. Down to the point, I don’t think I could have asked for more… I had fun? Initially, I thought it would be “funny” to go down to the show, but what it came down to was just “fun”. Joke’s always on me, right?
My relationship with electronic music can be traced back to when I was 10 years old watching documentaries on the Prodigy and the UK rave scene. I wanted to be a part of the dance scene so bad but not only was I 10 and well-underaged but the scene seemed to have only existed in Europe. Over a decade later, here I am in my twenties, still missing out on the rave scene… although according to some (re: most), that was a good thing.
Confession: Tiesto is my first “trance” show.
When the Cobbles delivered the ticket to me earlier on Saturday, I looked at the ticket which read “Show 7pm-2am”. Trying to not seem like a loser who doesn’t leave their house, I said, “oh 2am…. That’s… cool.” Having never been to a club past the time when the last SkyTrain leaves Waterfront, I figured that once again, transit was going to be the cockblock to my Saturday night.
The Pacific Coliseum was an appropriate venue for Tiesto. As soon as I got to the door (at 10) and saw the venue could barely contain the light show that accompanied the overwhelming bass… I was stoked. I came to the show wearing a 1960s dress that you’d see on Mad Men and stuck out like a sore thumb. No fur trimmed jackets, Armani Exchange, Affliction, Ed Hardy, or spandex booty shorts for me.
Arriving to the party late, I had already lost my seat and ended up in the first row in the aisle. The latest and greatest from the Kaleidoscope record was already blasting. The crowd was going apeshit for “Escape Me”, “Century” and “I Will Be Here”. Having spent the last few days before Tiesto editing photos in my basement, I might have been out of my comfort zone. Tiesto’s crowd was in full effect complete with booze options and the air up in smoke.
I read Pitchfork’s review of Kaleidoscope (3.8 out of 10) and thought the review was fairly brutal. It appears that some people forget where the real meat of pop music comes from and it doesn’t come from “oh maybe Tiesto might have ripped off Justice here and there” or “oh what is he trying to do? Why is he working Emily Haines, Cary Brothers and Tegan & Sara?” (seriously folks, it happened)… I feel like dance music is rooted from the response that people feel when they listen to the music.
Now, as a vague remark, I listen to pop music much the same as how movies use classical music – I use it as background noise. It has served me well for over the decade it’s been in my life. I can remember the years of wasted youth sitting at my computer listening to the likes of Benny Benassi, Lisa Lashes, Sash and ATB, playing StarCraft and Counterstrike with a bowl of instant noodles.
So maybe Tiesto has changed his game a bit, going back and forth with trance, dance, pop, electronica, whathaveyou… but this is a live show we’re talking about. Add a crowd, some lights, some bass and the experience with this music changes completely.
I don’t think Tiesto’s music has served any deep meaning to my life but the real fact is that dance music has always been there as an accessory to a good time. Plain and simple… Seeing the hundreds and hundreds of people partying and dancing the night away made me realize that maybe this trance has a purpose – the crowd makes it.
I was impressed with the Tetris samples, and I was floored by the production. The light show was perfect (asides the minor screw up for a column of panels mid-show). It resembled a giant large version of my Antec Twelve Hundred computer case and reminded me of my memories in my PC gaming in high school.
Unfortunately, as all Vancouverites know from experience, we all turn into pumpkins when the last of the buses and SkyTrains leave. I had to leave Tiesto prematurely, before 1am, which made me surprisingly a little sad. The truth is, I was actually having a blast hanging out by myself with my iPhone.
Thinking back to so many things that I do “for the lulz”, “for shits and giggles”, I always come out pleasantly surprised.
Photos by Melissa Dex Guzman
Further reading:
Tiesto on MySpace
Tiesto’s Kaleidoscope YouTube playlist
Pitchfork’s review of Kaleidoscope
