With the first week of spring semester in Gainesville, Fla. coming to an end, nothing could have closed out this extra week of winter break better than Steve Aoki making his first 2012 appearance in the Gator Nation. Performing on Jan. 12 at the Vault NightClub in downtown Gainesville, Aoki would be one of four other DJs to blow the roof off of the tightly packed, sweat-filled venue.
As with all other students, my workload has yet to drive me to go on suicide watch, and I decided to check out Aoki in person since I missed the chance to see him when he came to town last year. I was not planning on making that same mistake. I arrived at Vault with a group of friends shortly after 10 p.m. The show had already gone on for about an hour with DJ Sketch already finished with his set. While I waited to get through security, an argument between a young intoxicated hotshot and a bouncer became the waiting line show. The kid was eventually pushed out of the premises, and I was able to walk in without a hitch.
After only a few steps inside Vault, I could already feel the bass pulsating through the walls and lightly tapping against my chest. I took a few more steps, and I walked into a scene consisting Gainesville-based DJ Shaan Saigol focusing on his set as a sea of neon colored clothing and glow sticks danced and screamed in front of him.
Photo by Chris Alcantara
Slithering my way through the densely packed VIP area, I successfully found myself in a suitable spot to begin taking pictures as Saigol continue with his killer set. The crowd was in an uproar, and Saigol could not have warmed up them up any better.
Simply Red - Holding Back the Years (Shaan Saigol Extended Mix)
Buraka Som Sistema - Hangover (Shaan Saigol Remix)
Photo by Chris Alcantara
Following Saigol's set, the torch was passed to fellow Neon Liger DJ, Vi, who proceeded to rock the house with his set of in-your-face remixes that, on several occasions, appeared to have drove people up the wall.
Photo by Chris Alcantara
Photo by Chris Alcantara
After taking a few shots of Vi, I decided to step down from the backstage area and proceed down to the floor to see what I can find. Five minutes into walking around the ground floor, and I was drenched in sweat. All the attendees, however, did not seem to mind the heat and embraced it by dancing and going completely apeshit.
Photo by Chris Alcantara
Photo by Chris Alcantara
In the midst of the many neon-colored "Rage" hats and clothes, I ran into one of the more stand-out characters at the show: a guy dressed up in full nerd attire. I’m talking about the broken glasses, bowtie and slacks. Despite the near boiling temperatures in the venue, it appeared that the nerd gave zero fucks about his condition as he was more than likely rolling and probably sweating profusely underneath his cardigan.
Photo by Chris Alcantara
Toward the end of Vi’s set, the venue was nearly filled to the brim. Girls were hoisted onto shoulders while many climbed on whatever elevated surface they could step up on as the moment of truth finally arrived. Aoki emerged from the backstage area to the sound of a roaring crowd. The messiah has finally arrived bearing gifts. Just before the start of his set, Aoki announced that he would play almost all of his songs, including a few new tracks that were yet to be released. In no time at all, the crouching tiger unleashed his inner hidden dragon, ripped off his shirt and began to melt the crowd’s face right off.
Photo by Chris Alcantara
Photo by Chris Alcantara
As promised, Aoki played almost all of his top hits, including “Turbulence,” “I’m In the House,” "Warp 1.9” and his remix of Kid Cudi’s “Pursuit of Happiness.” On more than a few occasions, Aoki flew off the stage to get his fix of crowd surfing.
Photo by Chris Alcantara
After almost an hour and half of non-stop crowd surfing, champagne spraying and pure bass-pounding bliss, Aoki was forced to cut his set short just near 1:30 a.m. Although the crowd was begging for more, Aoki had put on an all-star set that will surely be topic of conversation for the upcoming months.
Photo by Chris Alcantara
Photo by Chris Alcantara
For those of you who ever get the chance to see Aoki live, do not pass up the opportunity. I was skeptical at first, but after feeling his intensity and his active engagement with the crowd, Aoki is definitely a must-see. To end on a final note: I would like to thank the Disco Concert Series and Neon Liger for allowing me attend the show and photograph all performing artists.
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