Too let every care in the world go and dance your ass off to some of the most stimulating visuals and production this scene has to offer. The giant LED walls screens and lasers made us realize why we come to these sort of events. Finally as the lyrics “we come, we rave, we love” resonated from the noticeably turned up sound system everyone screamed and chanted in anticipation. We headed back towards the main stage to catch Swedish House Mafia which included an awkward 30-minute intermission with some guy talking about the app before their 10pm start. From “Harlem Shakes” to almost every favorite on Nero's Welcome Reality album we were happily pleased to be away from the mainstream crap going on at the other stage with lots of bro's who only know “Don't You Worry Child” and “Save the World Behind.” You know those annoying ones wearing YOLO hats and moshing everywhere? Though the sound was a little low the Ballroom was were the real party people were at. Clockwork was surprisingly one of the best sets of the evening as well as Subfocus and Nero who never disappoint. Of course the booty shaking in the Ballroom to some epic dubstep helped too. It was also conveniently located next to a beer garden which at this point was the only way to stay warm. The fog machines were cool and all, but we would have expected the production at the venue to create a more immersing experience than a regular concert.īored with the mediocre predictable sets on the main stage, we headed into the Ballroom which hosted bass-loving acts like Monsta, Clockwork, Sub Focus and Nero. Production for the main stage acts was also lacking and the sound was quite low. The Masquerade Motel was not as prepared and the thousands in attendance on Friday had to rave in the rain if they were at the main stage and walk through a muddy mess all night. This included creating a giant tent and hanger over every stage and having ponchos available for purchase. Last year, around the same time when Beyond Wonderland faced some of the most torrential rain ever, Pasquale Rotella the CEO made sure his team did everything in their power to make the event safe and fun for everyone despite the rain. In a way, we wish Live Nation would take a couple of tips from real EDM promoters such Insomniac Events. With the slogan “We came, we raved, we loved” this is exactly what we did this weekend as we celebrated one of dance music's most historical nights in LA. Thousands of fans braved the cold and rain on Friday to be there for the final opportunity to see the Swedes in all of their glory since Axwell, Sebastian Ingrosso and Steve Angello announced this would be their last tour ever via their website in 2012.
The theme of “Masks On” and the opportunity to be free and let loose is the epitome of what the dance music culture entails and Swedish House Mafia know just how to bring that feeling to their Masquerade Motel party. One of the most notorious EDM shows since it's debut in 2010 – The Masquerade Motel brought the Swedish House Mafia-themed party from the white island of Ibiza to the United States and for the first and final time to LA.
Only a group as big as Swedish House Mafia would be able to sell 35,000 tickets in minutes only to add more show dates, which included this Friday night event. But the biggest event of the weekend and probably year was Swedish House Mafia's Masquerade Motel which played it's final west coast dates of their “One Last Tour” on Friday March 8th and Saturday the 9th at the LA Historic Park.
Erick Morillo played at Avalon AND Sound Nightclub, Carl Cox brought the house down at Exchange, Sasha was also at Sound and Ben Klock saw the sun rise at an incredible warehouse party. Who would have thought that just after seeing the legendary Tiësto sell out the Staples Center on March 2 that LA would receive another one of the biggest EDM weekends since Electric Daisy Carnival was held at the Los Angeles Colosseum.