Music can move you. That is fact. It can evoke emotions, and it can repress them. It can destroy, build, conquer and relinquish. Since the dawn of man, when we first learned to make sounds, music has been a proponent of so many aspects of life.
Utilizing the power of music to tell a story is something special. It takes creativity and finesse. Countless stories have been told through millions of performances, so the artist must be unique. He or she must know how to grab the audience, to make them surrender, and to propel them into a different world. Cultivating such ability takes time and dedication, yet once achieved, it is invaluable. The rush and euphoria you bring to the hearts and souls of other people cannot be described, it must be experienced. A ticket is a cheap price to pay for a life-changing moment, and given how spontaneous life may be, you should seize every opportunity you can.
Alesso’s performance at House of Blues was phenomenal. The visuals were perfect, the engagement with the crowd was perfect, and the songs were all well chosen. For his Uprising Tour, the young Swede played a brilliant combination of electro and progressive house, and it kept the audience moving. Hats off to Alesso for his deviation from a single genre, as a predictable and cliche set can dampen any music-lovers mood.
Opening for Alesso were Joe Bermudez and Matt Goldman, two prominent producers who successfully set the mood for Alesso’s performance. While both young DJs played good sets, they did not compare to the power and awe of Alesso’s. Of course, it is difficult to open for someone like Alesso. He himself has opened for Swedish House Mafia and is the apprentice of Sebastian Ingrosso. However, the sheer power and beauty of Alesso’s 2-hour headlining set was surreal. He absolutely dominated the venue.
Opening with a vocal intro-edit of his song “Years” with Matthew Koma, the young Swede jumped on stage to the roar of the crowd, backed by a forest of lasers and captivating visuals. The familiar piano hook was instantly recognized by the crowd, who screamed and jumped in approval. Riding the tidal wave of energy from his entrance, Alesso proceeded to play many other strong tracks, many of which included productions by Russian duo Hard Rock Sofa. These included “Let Me Hear You Scream,” “Stop In My Mind”, a collaboration with Swanky Tunes, and “Arms Around Me,” a working-title set to be released soon on Axtone Records.
To counterbalance the crunchy electro sounds, Alesso played a variety of tracks with popular lyrics, including “Thinking About You” by Calvin Harris featuring Ayah Marar, “Spectrum” by Florence and the Machine, and “Eat Sleep Rave Repeat” by Fat Boy Slim & Riva Starr, a crowd favorite that had everyone singing along.
More mainstream records that Alesso played included his own original “Clash”, “Booyah” by Showtek, and “Reload” a collaboration by Sebastian Ingrosso and Aussieman Tommy Trash. All three songs were well received by the audience, yet they were not the high points of the night.
One of the truly beautiful moments of the night was when the the reverberating vocals of Noonie Bao melted through the speakers, mixing with the voice of the crowd as “Starlight” by Don Diablo & Matt Nash was sung. It was a truly chilling moment. The venue went dark apart from a small grow from the LED screen and all you could hear was a chorus-effect of voices. I was sitting on the upper-left balcony with my back against the wall when I recognized “Starlight” being mixed in. I lowered my camera, clicked it off, and simply sat there listening. This was one of those moments where music takes hold of you, when you forget everything else and simply take everything in. Gazing out across the sea of faces on the main floor, I could make out smiles and lips moving in sync. Some people were hugging, others were holding hands. Couples nuzzled each other’s necks and even the venue security guards looked entranced. The whole venue was hypnotized and frozen in that moment. Sitting here and recalling it is giving me chills.
Another high point of the night was when Alesso played his newly released collaboration with Calvin Harris and Hurts titled “Under Control.” The heart-warming vocals and catchy riff of the melody was a combination that had everyone in the venue dancing and singing. A burst of confetti and CO2 accompanied the second drop, and it was quite a breathtaking moment to see Alesso, arms raised, through the snow-like haze of confetti showering the venue.
Alesso’s set also included tracks such as Axwell’s remix to “In My Mind” by Feenixpawl, “Calling (Lose My Mind)” by Alesso & Sebastian Ingrosso, and “City of Dreams”, a collaboration by Alesso with Dirty South. Alesso’s bootleg of his remix to “Pressure” by Starkillers & Nadia Ali mixed with Swedish House Mafia’s farewell ballad “Don’t You Worry Child” was also a crowd pleaser, and all of these songs played brought an onslaught of stomping feet, pumping fists, and smiles.
The culmination of Alesso’s set brought on the most anticipated-track of the night, Alesso’s very own remix to “Lose Myself” by One Republic. The focus was on the combination of Ryan Tedder’s smooth vocals and Alesso’s chord progression; no one even cared that the show was over. The emotions evoked by singalong during the closing rivals that of “Starlight”, yet it seems that “Lose Myself” emerged the victor. After the hook of the vocals, Alesso teased the crowd with a long buildup to the drop, filtering the low frequencies into a barely-audible sound. Taking to the mic and thanking Boston for having him, the 22 year-old Swede climbed onto the decks and began raising his hands in an upward motion, eventually fist-pumping as the glorious drop pounded out through the speakers. A tidal wave of lasers and another massive blast of confetti accompanied the drop, concluding Alesso’s show. It was an indescribable moment, and if you weren’t there to experience it, you can watch it below.
Without a doubt, Alesso’s performance was one of the best I have seen in a while. His set was dispersed with the familiar and the unkown, and it was nice to see him mix in less popular tracks with mainstream records. On his Soundcloud you can find a Mini-Mix of the main songs he played on tour, and I strongly recommend that you see him perform. His show was a true testimony to the great effects music has on the soul, and I sincerely hope that everyone gets to experience such bliss and magic. It’s real.