Swedish House Mafia at LA State Historic Park – March 9 (Review and Photos)

On March 11, 2013 by ocedm

Masquerade Motel - Swedish House Mafia

For one of the few times in my life, I am at a loss of words. I can’t even begin to describe how Saturday night with Swedish House Mafia was. I don’t even know where to begin. The amazing trio of Steve Angello, Sebastian Ingrosso, and Axwell? The crazy tracks they threw down? The insane production? I’ll try my best to put my emotions of the night in to words. (Warning: I used my iPhone to take photos, so don’t expect Rukes quality! He was at the show and I’ll update this post when he puts up his sweet photos. Edit: March 8 and March 9).

Zedd - Masquerade Motel

Saturday, March 9 was SHM’s final west coast performance of their One Last Tour before they head off to Ultra in Miami next week. My friend and I arrived at the Los Angeles State Historic Park at about 7:30pm, the site of SHM’s Masquerade Motel. After getting robbed by paying an arm and a leg for parking, we made our way in.

We had already been to the area for Hard Day of the Dead back in November, and getting in was a nightmare then. This time it was a breeze. There was literally no line, and the ID check and ticket scanning stations went quickly. We caught the tail end of German wunderkind Zedd. By the looks of it, he was finishing up a massive set, due to the crowd reaction. The last two tracks I picked up were his hard hitting “Shotgun” and “Spectrum“, which got everyone singing along.

Alesso - Masquerade Motel

Alesso was up on the main stage next after Zedd. We had seen him previously at Insomniac’s Nocturnal Wonderland, and I was interested to see what kind of set he would play. Of course, he played his well known tracks such as “Lose My Mind (Calling)“, “Pressure“, “Raise Your Head“, and “Heiress of Valentina“.

He also put out his newer ones like “Clash“, “City of Dreams“, “Silenced by the Night“, and “Years“. Alesso also switched things up a bit with Hardwell and Showtek’s “How We Do” and Tujamo and Plasik Funk’s “Who“, my personal favorite of his set.

Swedish House Mafia - Masquerade Motel

After Alesso was the group of guys we had all paid to see. The Ballroom Stage was shut down and everyone made their way over to see SHM. When the time had come, the curtains fell down and a huge set with stunning graphics would be the stage for the night. Opening up with Sebastian Ingrosso and Axwell’s “We Come, We Rave, We Love“, the guys then got into their Absolut Vodka inspired track “Greyhound“.

On a side note, throughout the night, the guys would take turns leaving the decks and pound out some beats on snare or a pair of tom toms, which I though added a sick element to the show. They played their hits like “One“, “Miami 2 Ibiza“, “Antidote“, “Every Tear Drop Is A Waterfall“, and of course, “Don’t You Worry Child“.

Swedish House Mafia - Masquerade Motel

The group also mixed things up with a variety of other tracks, such as  Steve Angello’s “Knas” and “Lights“, Avicii’s “Superlove“, Hard Rock Sofa and Swanky Tunes’ “Here We Go“, and Nari & Milani’s “Atom” and “Kendo“. Some other tracks that stood out for me include Axwell and Dirty South’s remix of “Sweet Disposition“, Axwell’s “In My Mind” and his remix of “Resurrection“, Sebastian Ingrosso and Tommy Trash’s “Reload“, and Hard Rock Sofa’s “Quasar“. The Swedes ended the breathtaking night with “Save the World“, set before a backdrop of spectacular fireworks.

Swedish House Mafia - Masquerade Motel

I had high expectations for the night after reading about SHM’s previous stops throughout the United States, and even the rest of the world. I can honestly say that my expectations were exceeded that night. The production of the whole night really stood out to me, with the perfectly timed lights, lasers, and pyrotechnics. They had cameras in front, behind, and to the side of the guys, as well as a camera that swung out in to the crowd, capturing every moment.

The stage the guys played on was unique, yet visible to pretty much the whole crowd. If the song had lyrics to it, people sang them. Even if the track didn’t, people would sing along to the melody anyways. All in all, I would have to say that this show was the best night of my life. It’s unfortunate that they’re splitting up, but I’m putting my money on a reunion tour in a couple of years.

What I Liked: How getting in was easy and quick, the all out amazing production, and the variety of tracks played .

What I Didn’t Like: What certain lots charged for parking, the long lines at the porta potties, and the girl behind me who kept rubbing my arm.

Last Thought: If this was SHM’s last west coast performance, they went out with a bang!

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