Canadian electronic duo ushered its “Altered States” tour into the on Friday night with , , , , Colorado’s own (formerly part of the Pretty Lights entourage) and the fresh addition of Chicago up-and-comers .
While the place didn’t appear to be at capacity, the pumped crowd of day-glo, LED and glow-stick clad bass junkies filled about most of the bowl. Watching a crowd of that size bouncing as a single giant, ecstatic unit was an experience in itself — well worth the long wait through some pretty tight security outside.
Paper Diamond’s set — after four openers — gelled the audience with an affinity for (and skill with) hip-hop beats. A fresh take on some Jay-Z raised both the decibel and blood pressure levels in the arena — leaving the crown primed for Krewella. Unfortunately, the longest pause between sets threatened a little letdown before the Chicago trio finally took the stage. The trio’s mix of high energy rock and Anime-style anthems had the place back in the air in no time, though. Jahan and Yasmine Yousaf’s calls out to “F***in Denver!” came often enough to make the phrase laughable.
Headliner Zeds Dead showed off not only mad mixing skills, but an accomplished knowledge of some of classic rock as well — highlighting the set with a brilliant remix of Jimi Hendrix’s “Purple Haze.” The act’s style — while definitely slinging hi-octane bass and drums with the best — also showed comfort with the downbeat, a more chill aspect of dubstep (which lends the genre a little more depth). The mix brought a freshness to a genre that might have seen its last days of “new” long ago, and the nods to classics lent just a tad more legitimacy to Zeds Dead’s swagger as well.
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Billy Thieme is a Denver-based writer, an old-school punk and a huge follower of Denver’s vibrant local music scene. Follow Billy’s explorations at , and his giglist at .
Shannon Shumaker is a Denver photographer and huge follower of the Colorado music scene. You can find more of her work on .
