DEADMEAT: A trip worth taking (March 10th, PNE Forum)

The energy is palpable the minute you step onto the PNE Forum grounds: the air buzzes with excitement and the crowd is ready for one hell of a good time. Upon entering the Forum, party-goers are instantly struck by a wave of energetic house music. Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike are setting the tone for the night; they give the large venue a homey feel, as though each and every concert goer is a VIP.

With almost no light show Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike work furiously to mix their music live, showcasing their talent as true DJs. Transitioning from Knife Party’s Internet Friends to Nicky Romero's Toulouse, Dimitri/Mike lace Martin Luther King Jr.'s iconic "I Have a Dream" speech into the background, making for one of the strangest yet most enjoyable musical highlights of the night. It feels right: it's as if Martin Luther King had written his speech hoping that one day it would be complimented by a heavy bass line. As Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike close their set, the fist-pumping crowd comes to a standstill; the heavy weight of anticipation blankets an already amped crowd. We wait for Datsik.

—Suddenly—the lights go out, the bass drops and in a flash the tone in the room changes. It is a dirty little dubber's dreamland: thousands of chest cavities violently rolling from the musical vibrations like whitecaps on the open ocean. You don't just hear Datsik’s set -- you experience it. You feel it.

Datsik’s performance overflows with youthful energy, quickly infecting the crowd and making it apparent that he is having as much fun as we are. Bouncing around on stage is Datsik's entourage, including a character that reminds me of Turtle from HBO’s Entourage (and sounded like Lil John?). If nothing else it adds to the anything-goes party atmosphere: they take turns chugging from an oversized bottle of Crown Royal with a camera attached to it. How Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous is that?

As his set continues, Datsik plunges into his version of Skrillex’s Cinema – thrusting the audience into a labyrinth of obliterating bass. You feel as though you're wandering though true darkness with nothing but bass to create a sense of reality. It is what the bass-heads paid for and they love every minute of it.

Rounding off his set Datsik throws in some great mashups: he couples 90's hits such as House of Pain’s Jump Around with Skrillex’s Reptile. Unfortunately, the time comes for Datsik to give the crowd a break from thrash-dancing and a moment to recuperate before Steve Aoki hits the stage.

Exploding on stage Steve Aoki promises the crowd a special set of all Aoki exclusives. Starting on a high note he launches into his first track, a party starter from his new album "Wonderland;" Steve Jobs. One of Aoki’s greatest talents is that his main focus is cranking up the energy in the room. His entire set is a rocket-fueled climax following songs like Tornado, alongside crowd favourites Turbulence and Warp.

Aoki is more than attentive to the audience's needs, keeping them fully nourished throughout the show: bottled waters are tossed from his turntable, an oversized plate of beef is used like a Frisbee to shower the audience in beef jerky during No Beef, champagne is sprayed from his mouth directly onto party-goers' gleeful faces, and there were no less than three cake face-plants. There is no arguing it -- Steve Aoki is one of the most interactive DJ's in the world. On two occasions he sets out on a pleasure cruise grabbing his iconic yellow inflatable dingy as he flies off the stage to sail the seas. Aoki lives in a world of perpetual good times.

I still have not yet mentioned his truly eye-catching stage setup. Aoki’s glowing name adorned on giant LCD screens, act as a constant reminder of who is providing the crowd with this break from the monotony of our daily lives. Closing his set with his remix of Kid Cudi’s Pursuit of Happiness, and it all makes sense: Steve Aoki’s goal in life is to help crowds around the world in capturing a fleeting brand of happiness. For a few hours he succeeds in taking thousands into his outrageous world where the pursuit of happiness becomes a reality.

Three separate acts. Three separate vibes. Each individually worth the ticket price, the hangovers, and the memories.