The Alchemy Tour: Solid Gold

Cover photo from Seven Lion’s Facebook page

Three absolute forces of nature within the electronic scene—Seven Lions, The Glitch Mob, as well as Slander & NGHTMRE present: GUD VIBRATIONS—came together to deliver one of the most epic shows I have ever seen. Representing Fire, Water, and Air, the three powerhouse artists surpassed my already high expectations. Each group played an incredibly different set than I anticipated, but I wasn’t at all mad about it. Set against one of the world’s most pristine natural backdrops, The Gorge Amphitheatre, I was treated to an evening I won’t soon forget. Over 15,000 fans flocked to The Gorge for its final event of the season.

As temperatures were quite chilly (low 50’s to ’30s!), fans rocked their animal onesies and winter hats to combat the cold. I personally was wearing two layers, a long-sleeved leopard catsuit and a fleece monkey onesie, which wasn’t fun to navigate the porta-potties in. Being a veteran festival goer, I should have known better than to try and sport TWO onesies (with two tails), but I’ve learned my lesson. This was my first cold-weather event, and it was fun to see everyone’s winter festi outfits.

Schedule

In watching the artist’s Instagram stories, I realized the three headliners took turns closing out the show. I thought this was a genius idea. For the show at The Gorge, the schedule was as follows:

• Huxley Anne
• Jason Ross
• The Glitch Mob
• Slander & NGHTMRE PRESENT GUD VIBRATIONS
• Seven Lions

AIR: THE GLITCH MOB

The Glitch Mob represented Air and their set was purposefully somewhat dark and spooky. They achieved this aesthetic by suspending a cyclone-looking piece of rigging with lights that hung above their stand, a design that was minimal in nature. The minimalist approach was spot on being that air is a tricky concept to bring to life. The lights on the cyclone flickered and flashed with the beats and drops. Crisp, white lights cut through the air over the audience while thunder and lightning cascaded through their set, creating a delightfully ominous vibe.

They started strong with the heavy-hitting song “Mind of a Beast.” I nearly threw myself off of the ledge I was on in sheer excitement (this happened more than a few times during their set). Fans were treated to “Drive It Like You Stole It,” “Our Demons,” “Skullclub,” “I Need My Memory Back,” “Come Closer,” “How To Be Eaten By A Woman” and “Skytoucher.” They also played the hell out of their binge-worthy remixes, like The Prodigy’s “Breathe,” The White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army,” TV On The Radio’s “Red Dress” and Daft Punk’s “Derezzed.”

I noticed that they played a ton of unreleased material, peppering in crowd favorites and timeless bangers. The trio released a new song the day before our show with up-and-coming producer LICK called “System Bleed.” In a recent review, I delve into the group’s plans to release a number of songs they’ve collaborated on with newer producers. They dropped “System Bleed” at the Gorge, and the crowd went wild.

As veterans of the electronic scene, they have truly mastered their live performances. In addition to producing music that is incredibly dynamic and badass, they can be counted on to play incredible live shows. The Glitch Mob played a very different set than the previous two shows I’ve seen. Being able to play the same catalog of songs but diversify the show indicates true and lasting talent in my eyes. More than a few souls were snatched at The Gorge that night thanks to the spells cast by The Glitch Mob.

FIRE: SLANDER & NGHTMRE PRESENT: GUD VIBRATIONS

A quick intermission revealed an entirely different stage design to support SLANDER & NGHTMRE, who represented the element Fire. And boy did they live up to their element. A massive nest of rigging enveloped the stand where the three producers stood. The oblong-shaped rigging had ribbons of light that looked like flames shooting across the stage. Several flame-throwing devices were set up in front of their stand and spewed towers of fire often, further reinforcing their element.

While The Glitch Mob was spooky and cast spells on the crowd, GUD VIBRATIONS transported the crowd straight to HELL; I mean this in the best possible way as the trio absolutely CRUSHED their set and delivered a ferocious performance. I’m not sure how the crowd was able to get wilder but they did.

GUD VIBRATIONS showcased the best and HOTTEST songs of the three producers’ catalog. I had not seen GUD VIBRATIONS play together before, but they too shattered my expectations. They relentlessly played banger after banger, weaving in a fair amount of headbanging music with dubstep, trap and even some screamo. Personally I felt as though I needed to go to church after their absolutely filthy, grimy set—it was that good. I  thought my ‘bass face’ was going to get stuck permanently for sure.

One of my favorite parts of their set was when they took a melodic turn and played “Superhero.” I’m getting chills recalling this beautifully powerful moment. We collectively melted together as they asked the crowd to put their lights up. All around me friends and lovers embraced. The producers asked the men in the audience to put their ladies up on their shoulders to soak up the moment. The dreamy moment came abruptly to an end as the nastiest beat dropped. I could have sworn that I saw a bunch of ladies careen sideways off shoulders as we returned to the depths of Hell for more epic wubs and dubs (I hope they’re okay!)

NGHTMRE & SLANDER played “Redlight,” “End Of The Night,” “Need You,” “Feel Your Love,” “STREET,” “Live This Nightmare,” “Man’s First Inhibition,” “Broken,” “After All,” “POWER,” “Ascension”  and, of course, “GUD VIBRATIONS.”

WATER: SEVEN LIONS

Seven Lion’s closed out the show at The Gorge. His set and stage design masterfully illustrated the element Water. A smattering of different sized diamond-shaped screens sat in front of the stand where Seven Lions stood. They echoed different clips of what the main visuals illustrated and usually had a border of blue or white light at all times. Seven Lions is known for his fantastical and hauntingly beautiful visuals, which he uses to weave a story throughout his set.

Seven Lions effortlessly transitions from trance to dubstep to house, sometimes within one track. He delivered one of the most breathtakingly gorgeous sets to close out the show. His hallmark epic house and uplifting trance anthems filled The Gorge as fans were transported to other worlds with his visuals. I easily could have danced until dawn to his music.

Harnessing his ability to evoke the feels with his melodic trance tracks and then kick it up with delightfully complex dubstep, Seven Lions had every fan dancing their hearts out until the last note. He played “Rush Over Me,” “After Dark,” “Islands,” “See The End,” “Don’t Leave,” “World’s Apart,” “Ocean,” “Falling Away,” “Higher Love” and his remix of “Sahara Love.” He also dropped an extended remix of Darude’s “Sandstorm,” so that we could properly rage to this anthem. Seven Lions always fills me with love and light; this set was no different. 

I left The Gorge in awe after witnessing the sheer amount of talent showcased that evening. I’m so thankful to have seen The Alchemy Tour in all of its glory. I’m rooting for a reunion tour!

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