By Nadir Roberts
Arts & Entertainment Editor
Students, friends and other guests of the College made the Energizer Bunny look like a measly little ball of fur when the effervescent and lively crowd hopped into the Recreation Center ready to fist pump and dance to American electro house DJ Steve Aoki on Friday, Nov. 9 at the College Union Board’s Fall Concert.
Aoki makes remixes and original music with everyone across the musical spectrum –– he has worked with big name artists including The Chainsmokers, Kid Cudi, Daddy Yankee, Desiigner, Lincoln Park, Travis Barker and many more.
“Steve, Steve, Steve, we want Steve,” the crowd shouted shortly after DUCKWRTH’s opening performance.
To add to the EDM and techno vibe of the night, foam flashing LED sticks were thrown to many people in the crowd, illuminating the black sea of the audience with spurts of white.
Granting the crowd their wishes — Steve Aoki finally appeared. His long hair bounced as he ran through the long platform in his yellow and black track suit and faced the crowd.
“What’s up New Jersey!” Aoki shouted.
To kick off the bass-filled night, Aoki started his performance with “Shakalaka,” an EDM song with a mariachi twist, that electrified the crowd.
With strobe lights that were flashing at an extremely incredible rate, the crowd revelled in the sensory stimulation.
Aoki kept the hype and excitement going the whole night as the crowd waited for the climactic bass to burst with increasingly loud sirens.
“I wanna make sure that we go crazy all the way till the end,” Aoki said.
He stood at his DJ booth with was split by a screen on the lower half, but was still synchronized with the a screen behind him, creating the perfect jumbotron-esque display that screened an array of spectacular visuals.
Getting the crowd involved for his next song, “Plur Genocide,” which Aoki teamed up with Carnage for back in February of this year, Aoki instructed his fans to wave in the indicated direction when the chorus of the song began.
“When I say north side we go up,” instructed Aoki. “South side we go down!”
“Plur Genocide,” which included a deep thrusting bass that streamed through the crowd’s veins, was amplified even more by the synchronized hand movements of the audience.
“Oh shit, we on the West Side/Oh shit, we on the East Side/Oh shit, we on the North Side/Oh shit, we on the South Side,” were the lyrics the crowd waved to, as per Aoki’s instructions.
Since he felt warmly welcomed at the College, Aoki debuted a new song, “Why Are We So Broken” that featured the likes of Blink-182, which has collaborated with Aoki in the past.
Aoki wasted no time getting down to business and invited a few people to join him onstage –– the iconic cake throwing was about to commence.
“Alright who wants to get caked tonight?” Aoki asked.
Aoki was even asked for an encore of his head banging, heart throbbing and fun loving music.
DUCKWRTH, a South Central LA rapper who brought a lot of raw uncut verses to the stage, opened for Aoki.
He performed a song called “LOWRIDR” from his 2016 album “I’m Uugly.” The song detailed the a glimpse of his life as a kid growing up in California, riding around the city on his bike with his friends.
“We cruise down the block/Sk8 hi Vans and some thick scrunch socks/Ice cream man let me get a double scoop/Then I ride off in my Lowridr drop,” rapped DUCKWRTH.
With his mic stand at the start of the walkway, fans were at the forefront of the immersive experience as he interacted with the audience during the show.
“See I need everybody in here shaking ass,” the rapper said. “I understand not everybody in here is fluid and shit, but I need everybody in here shaking ass.”
He played songs from his 2017 mixtape, “An XTRA UUGLY Mixtape,” that included “TAMAGOTCHI” and “BUMMER / 2BUCKS.” He even played his latest single, “SOPRANO.”
Covered in cake fragments and sweat, concert goers left the Recreation Center with their ears ringing, hearts pumping and heads spinning after Aoki’s high-energy set.
