First EDM concert: Calvin Harris 01/21/2012

Picture Above Property of Stereo Live

After getting into the electronic dance music scene for some time now, it was time to actually start seeing some live shows. I noticed, about a month in advance, that Calvin Harris was coming to Houston at Stereo Live and he was my favorite DJ at the time so what a way to start out my EDM concert experience with the Irish composer coming to town.

I remember it was the time when his hit "We Found Love" with Rihanna went number one in the pop charts. He also had some other singles out including "Awooga" and "Feels So Close" that were getting some playing time in the radio. But what made me fall in love with his music was his second album Ready For The Weekend. What separated him from the other producers I was listening to is how he incorporated his own lyrics into his own music - it was unique. It was sad to hear how he announced a year before he released his third album, 18 Months, that he wasn't going to use his vocals in his music anymore and focus on producing. Nonetheless, I felt that this show was going to set the tone for the future of Calvin Harris.

I arrived at the venue as soon as they opened the doors, but little that I knew Calvin Harris wasn't going to perform until midnight. I saw the previous acts that were opening for Calvin and they were great. I didn't know who was the first guy. Most likely he was a local DJ that occasionally plays at the venue. The other guy that was on before was Burns. I never heard of him until I went to see Calvin Harris and he plays some exceptional tunes that had me grooving. Some of the songs he played was "Epilogue," "Turbo," and "Heartbeats." I looked him up the next morning and bought his compilation album This is Burns 001 - European Sex Music. It was overall a good buy from iTunes: $5.99 for 38 tracks including two continuous mixes collaborating the whole album.

Picture Taken by Roland Ruiz

After Burns finished his great set, Calvin was next and he was nothing less than outstanding. He started off his set with "I'm Not Alone" and "You Used To Hold Me," two instant tracks that set the mood for the crowd. He went on to play some Swedish House Mafia tracks, "Save The World" and "Antidote," which the crowd responded heavily by singing along. He also played his newer hits at the time that were mentioned above earlier. Overall, Calvin Harris didn't disappoint. He was interactive with the crowd, his background and layouts of the stage was satisfactory, and his set list was out of this world.

I knew after this night, seeing my favorite DJ perform, that this wouldn't be my last EDM concert. I knew by interacting with people in the crowd and knowing they're here for the same reason that I'm here that I wanted to be a part of this music scene. This concert got me to get out of my shell of shyness and just get out there and have a great time.