CONCERT REVIEW: Hardwell’s Wicked Halloween Rave

By: Kevin Schoenfeld

Last Monday (October 28), EDM’s number 1 DJ, according to DJ Magazine, Hardwell, performed in Philadelphia at the nightclub District N9NE near Spring Garden. The event, which lasted from 9:30pm-2:00am, was celebrated in the spirit of Halloween with an interesting array of costumes, free candy, colorful effects, and spooky décor. After seeing him perform for the first time, I can now fully understand why he earned such an honorable title. Hardwell has an amazing ability to rile up a crowd, mix awe-inspiring music, and give you the experience of a lifetime. I would indefinitely recommend going to one of his shows if you enjoy EDM music or just having fun and letting loose.

The show started off with local DJM3, who performed from 9:30-10:30pm. He was mediocre at best, kind of repetitive/unoriginal, and did not do a good job pumping up the crowd. Finally, the mood of the venue started to change at 10:30 when DJ Bamboora went on stage for an hour and successfully mixed hyped-up beats in sync with an intricate light show behind him. Finally, at 11:30, Hardwell went on stage and the crowd went absolutely nuts. The energy that was in the venue during his set was so immense. Hardwell was very into his mixing and seemed to gain much enjoyment from the riled-up crowd. He of course played his classics, Spaceman and Apollo. However, majority of his performance consisted of original remixes of hit songs, including: Animals by Martin Garrix, Years by Alesso, Stay the Night by Zedd, Reload by Sebastian Ingrosso, If I Loose Myself by OneRepublic vs. Alesso, Eat Sleep Rave Repeat by Fatboy Slim, Summertime Sadness by Lana Del Ray, Under Control by Calvin Harris vs. Alesso, and Holy Grail by Jay-Z. Definitely check him out (if you can) next time he’s in town, you wont regret it!