Review: Martin Solveig at the Avalon 11/19/11

So here’s my first review of one of the events I’ve attended. I am a little worried that my view of the night is a bit skewed. At these events I’m relaxed and enjoying myself, which usually consisted of me enjoying a few beverages as well, which may in turn blur the night a little. I hope to avoid the drunken slur of “oh maaaan, it was sooo gooooood! I danced so hard!” but I can’t promise that my recollection of the night is much more then that.

My friends arrived at the Avalon club in Hollywood around 10:30 that night. Martin Solveig was supposed to play at some point, but we weren’t exactly sure when he was supposed to take the stage. The only thing we knew was the event was supposed to run from 9:30pm till 8:00am.

Before I bought my tickets for the show, I had really only heard Solveig newest chart-topper “Hello,” but I listened to a few of his songs the days before the concert and generally enjoyed his music and the hilarity in his music videos. But as for this night, I had no expectations of what to expect, which I always enjoy because I most likely won’t be disappointed.

This was my first time to the Avalon, and I wasn’t disappointed. We picked up our will call tickets and were taken to the upstairs area. We could see where the set was supposed to take place, but opted to travel to the Bar instead. This is where I discovered the drink “Adios Mother Fucker.” On a side note, you need to understand I don’t branch out that often when it comes to drinks. I’m a beer and Rum and coke kind of guy, and boy was I not ready for those AMFs. Their not kidding with a name like that, and with the amount of alcohol I got, I think the $14 price tag was well worth it. I only needed two drinks that night and I was set.

When we finally made it to dance floor, the crowd was a decent size, and the excitement was at a mid high level. Whoever opened before Martin did a pretty good job of getting people into the mood, but once Solveig took the stage, the atmosphere swung and the excitement got out of control.

None of us realized that Solveig was really just there to do a DJ Set, but that made the night so much better. You could tell from the moment he started DJing, that Solveig loves what he does. He bracketed his performance with mixes of his hit “Hello,” something I noticed it, but didn’t mind as his set lasted four hours and featured so many different artists and genres that you were able to just move to whatever he played. Solveig seamlessly blended the sounds of artists like Skrillex and Afrojack with bands like Queen and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

The Dance floor itself was full of people, but not so much that you couldn’t dance comfortably. Some of the greatest moments were when the floor would be filled with a thick smog and you could witness silhouettes of people dancing around you. An eerie yet wonderful experience to watch as the bass pounded around you.

Solveig’s set ended at 3am, and while another DJ took the stage to continue the party, my friends and I were worn out from the excitement of Solveig (and we had prior obligations in the morning) and decided to call it a night. I hope the next time the Avalon hosts such an epic event as this that I will be able to spend the whole night there and dance until the sunrises.