This past weekend I was at the iconic Madison Square Garden to see the final stop of the “I Am Hardwell” tour, staring DJ Magazine’s #1 DJ Hardwell. The concert was five hours of energy filled EDM (Electronic Dance) music. This type of music is sometimes criticized as being pointless to go see live, because it is believed that is just as entertaining to put on a pair of headphones and listen to the same pre recorded music that is played at the concert.

However, after my first EDM concert this weekend, I totally disagree with that claim. When I was there in the beginning I wasn’t too sure what to expect. When Dannic was playing his set, he didn’t play too many songs with heavy bass drops, but music to get the crowd in the dancing mood for the main event. Once it was time for the headline act to come onto the stage, it was an experience like no other. One big theme of EDM and these concerts or rave type events is the idea of being one with the music and spirit. Before Hardwell actually came on the stage there was a long intro of a man talking about the universe and dreaming, which made the whole vibe of the even so surreal. After Hardwell came on the stage the crowd was going wild from the beginning to the end of his 3-hour set. Now as I said earlier, all of the music is prerecorded way before the concert date. Having said this, the role that the dj has is to run the energy of the crowd in a way that allows them to be engaged in the music at all times without tiring them out at the same time. They pick and choose songs that they seamlessly mix together with high and low energy levels throughout the night. Without mixing the music the way that Hardwell does so well, the music can become repetitive and boring after a while. What Hardwell does so well is mix the songs in a way that it seams that the beat is always changing but so smoothly that it is all just one big song.

After such a great experience, I can guarantee that I will be attending as many as time and money let me. If you are even slightly into this genre of music I definitely recommend going to one of these concerts, as I believe there is nothing like it.