What do you get when you combine HARD music, HARD crowd, HARD lights, and a HARD environment? HARD Red Rocks! Trap, Tech-House, Hip-Hop, Progressive house, Trapstep, Dubstep; HARD Red Rocks had everything a electronic music fan could desire on a beautiful night at Colorado’s world famous Red Rocks Amphitheater.
Ravers, Bassheads, Trappers, and everyone in between gathered in the masses for one night of unforgettable music at arguably the most beautiful venue in the United States. The entrance to Red Rocks is one of the most memorable parts of any show located there. With thundering bass heard as soon as you begin climbing the big flights of steps, and mountains surround you from all sides you realize there may not be another place on earth quite like this. Although many EDM performers count on lightboards to captivate fans from to venue to venue, Red Rocks is one of the few venues that are just as visually stunning during the day as it is at night.
It seemed the bass gods wanted to turn things up on that particular Thursday evening; with storms in the forecast, the skies managed to stay clear and the environment was electric as ever (even without the lightning that was suppose to touch down during the show). Who needs lightning anyway when there’s massive bass to keep the current flowing and a mind-blowing light show to light up the night’s sky?
Unsure of the madness that was about to go down, everyone was in a beautiful state of mind because the event they had been waiting for and dreaming about for months was finally upon them. Just as expected, performances from electronic moguls Diplo, Knife Party, Flosstradamus, Disclosure, and DESTRUCTO were on point that night. Each artist showed off their talents in a collision of bass and beats for all in attendance.
DESTRUCTO opened the night with some vibin’ house beats that set the pace for the evening and had people rushing into the venue from all directions. He successfully raised the crowd’s energy level to headline status before his set came to a close. The crowd went crazy when he dropped his most recognized song “Higher,” along with an arsenal of house beats that kept the vibes going for his entire set. It’s easy to get lost in house music like DESTRUCTO’s; a music trance commences and before you know it, you’re in your own digital paradise.
Next on deck was Flosstradamus. The Chicago duo took the stage and immediately blew up the venue by filling the enclosure up with their heavy trap beats. It was interesting to see the crowd adjust to the change of musical styles when compared to the progressive fist-pumping of house that DESTRUCTO threw down.
The sun was setting as Flosstradamus began their set, which gave cue to the start the laser light shows that you can lose yourself in. Heavy bass had the crowd literally hopping around to every drop; and if you’ve never been to a Flosstradamus show, it’s guaranteed to be one of the craziest dance parties you’ll ever experience. “Underground Anthem”, “Bubble Butt remix”, and “Original Don” were some of their well-known tracks that caused the crowd to absolutely lose control in an instant.
The Hoodie Boyz had everyone in an absolute PLURNT UP state of mind and was easily one of my favorite sets of the night. They even threw in a little mix of Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg’s “The Next Episode,” which seemed to fit in perfectly with the Colorado crowd. Countless times I saw people do the P.L.U.R (Peace, Love, Unity, and Respect) handshake and witnessed multiple friendships being made on this breathtaking night.
Two sets in, mind-blown, electric atmosphere; and yet there was still 3 sets left!
Disclosure made the way to the stage next, and again, switched the music up from trap-heavy to a tech-house style that continued the party right where Flosstradamus left off. Mixes of Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky” and a remix to Benny Benassi’s “Cinema” were two of the more memorable mixes as the crowd jumped in sync and made the entire venue feel lifted. The lighting effects and constant energy that Disclosure feeds into the crowd provide for a jaw-dropping experience. The progressive build-ups had chants, fist-pumps, dancing, and just pure love for music at an all-time high. One of the most memorable parts of Disclosure’s set was when the music would slow down for a moment of time, allowing the crowd to catch their breath and take in the beautiful environment around them.
After a little over an hour of some groovy dance moves and intense light shows, Disclosure left the stage and it was time for the final two sets of the evening.
Diplo put on a mind-blowing, attention grabbing set, which was surely my favorite of the entire night. His style covers a variety of music genre’s focusing mostly on trap and hip-hop. Diplo being a very charismatic individual, constantly gave the crowd the feeling of involvement. At one point during the song “Express Yourself”, the “Twerk Team” and any other females that could get through security made their way to the stage to add to an already insane atmosphere. Diplo even grabbed the mic and let security know that they had his permission…what a badass move!
Playing the mix “Welcome to Denver” turned the crowd’s switch to rage mode, and the dance party was instantly in full effect. Diplo is a truly talented artist adding house and jam vibes into his sets with his own unique twist. Feautring mixes of Baauers “Roll-up” and “Earthquake,” lit the crow up. He even went on to include some the mixes from his Major Lazer selection. There’s something special about when trap music hits heavy on the crowd; it’s almost as if it’s a controlled rage-sesh with everyone moving in a unique bass wave.
After all this craziness, the stars of the night hadn’t even hit the stage yet. Knife Party hit on all cylinders with their dubstep/house/trance style. They literally set the stage on fire with a majority of their lighting backdrops including large flames that fed energy into the crowd. At this point I got a chance to really look up and see the beauty of the Red Rocks venue. No matter how many times you’ve been there, when it’s a packed house and the music is jamming with the sound waves bouncing off the surrounding mountains, it’s truly a moment when time stands still for a second.
Knife Party provided just about anything the crowd could desire for the final set of the night: “Bonfire,” “Centipede,” and “Internet Friends – LRAD remix” provided some nasty dubstep funkiness. Add on multiple house tones that caused the crowd to go into a euphoric trance for what seemed to be hours, and you’ve got a perfect ending to the event. Beauty came out in the music, and it really felt like the crowd was united with the miraculous environment and epic performances that night.
What more can I say? The music was HARD, the crowd went HARD, the lights were HARD, and HARD Red Rocks did not disappoint. I can’t wait to return to the one of a kind amphitheater for HARD Events‘ next installment of HARD RED ROCKS!