THE HYP EXPERIENCE: Pretty Lights @ King Plow Art Center Atlanta, Georgia 12/30/2009

****To add to the flavor of the blog I will include posts of what I call the Hyp Experience. I'm a huge fan of music in general, but live music is what gets me. I have been to many shows throughout my short life and I am blessed to have seen the best. I enjoy reading show reviews, but sometimes the writer falls short of placing me inside the concert. Don't get me wrong, hearing about the setlist, encores and special guests is cool, but I want to feel what the concert goer experienced that night. So after every concert I see, I will describe the music I've heard, the people I met, the things I may have experimented with, and the crazy stories that go along with such adventures. Here is my FIRST POST**** 


THE HYP EXPERIENCE

Where: A-Town, GA @ King Plow Arts Center
Date: Wednesday December 30th-31st
Who: Pretty Lights (prettylightsmusic.com)
Friends: Brucey B (IRD), Young and Shay
Raging: YES!

I arrived in Atlanta around 8am 12/30 with my friends Young and Shay, while Brucey B was on his way from Asheville. After the long drive, we hit up the hotel for some rest, then feasted on these delicious burgers @ The Vortex (If you are ever in the ATL, I highly recommend you stop there) and grabbed a cab to King Plow around 9:15, doors open @ 10. Things did not run as planned. Turns out Hatlanta was pretty cold, 35 degrees cold and raining. By 10:30 there was no movement towards the door what so ever and the crowd began to rabble. The dumb whores who decided to wear nothing on a freezing, wet night were complaining (obviously) and the hippies were growing weary and just wanted to rage. The crowd began a chant "LET US IN! LET US IN!". Unfortunately, everyone already had taken too much molly to realize that the vendor didn't give a shit what they chanted. But that is why I purchased the VIP pass and walked through side door with out waiting. I was only able to get Young in, while Shay and Brucey waited outside. Problem was the venue only had two ticket scanners and they didn't prepare enough ticket staff for a soldout show.

Inside King Plow Art Center was an experience in itself. It was the sweetest venue, I have ever seen a concert in, beautiful. Imagine a new age art gallery tricked out for a rave. Extremely clean, spacious, modern with a large main performance room. They even opened the main room windows to keep the room from becoming a sweat box. The sound system was clear, consistent levels and the subs bumped HARD! The VIP room was even nicer. Dark wood, leather furniture and most importantly an OPEN BAR. I was honored to have Bernardo, a sixty some aged, short, high pitched, Italian man from New Jersey as my bartender for the evening. This guy was the man and definitely added to the surreal atmosphere of VIP. I'm a lover of beer and always challenging my palate with new flavors,  so I pointed to the two bottles I didn't recognize on the bar and asked Bernardo what they were about. He replied, "thats Sweetwater 420." I swear to you this stuff was unreal. An extra pale ale with a crisp finish, that had an aftertaste that left your tongue begging for more. I headed to check out the VIP bathrooms, only to find puke all over the floor and some guy blowing lines in the handicap stall. But hey, no waiting on lines!


***Of course the King Plow Art Gallery had artists. I believe these guys were from California and they painted during the opening act***




Now in full rage mode, I headed to the main room with the crew. Young came prepared with 3D glasses, a spectra, and glow sticks. While I donned a sound activated, light pulsating shirt. The kids in the crowd were feeling the light flashing shirt and everyone wore a look of amazement when they put on the 3D glasses. I was disappointed PL did not have his custom LED screen, but the light crew @ KP threw that disappointment out the window. Shout out to the lighting crew @ the King Plow, much deserved respect. As we lay in wait for PL to hit the stage, I headed back to the VIP to have an unplanned encounter with the man himself... Derek Vincent Smith.

Back in NY, I had made a demo tape of the songs IRD has made using Pretty Lights beats, beats IRD has made, and songs IRD has made. I also included a memo in regards to possible business ventures with him. When I first arrived in the VIP I gave it to the bouncer who said he could get it to PL. I went back to VIP to make sure the bouncer relayed this demo to PL. As I am talking to the bouncer, Derek begins his way down the stairs to get ready for the show. I quickly grabbed the demo and asked Derek if I could have a minute with him. As a true professional would, he pulled me to the side and said let's talk. I gave him my ideas and wanting to work with him. He was very laid back and humble, you could tell he's in it for the music first. This face too face meeting was momentous to say the least. First it was just an honor get a minute to talk to Derek. Second, it really made my drive to be a musician even stronger. I headed back to the main room amped out of my skull ready to go nuts for PL live in the ATL...

As 12 am hit, the last day of 2009 was upon us. How we were going to end this year in style? Derek and Corey arrived on stage from the back steps and the crowd screamed in excitement. As Corey got comfortable in his stool, Derek setup his laptop while pulling his signature move, smoking a cig on stage. Derek welcomed the ATL and the crowd roared as PL opened with a cover by Michael Menert (AES) called Starfall, woah! Straight into "Let Em Know It's Time to Go", and from there it was a roller coaster. Playing heart twisters such as, "Finally Moving Remix" to pure ragers like "City of One".

Young found a full bottle of Jack on the floor and it became the community water fountain. I was running back and forth grabbing free drinks for my fellow companions and strangers I just met, while taking shots in the VIP bar before I headed back into the rage-zone. The Atlanta crowd was so friendly and inviting passing around drinks, cigs and jays like we were friends for years. I also saw Molly hanging out everywhere in the crowd and she may have said hi to me in passing. To add to the insane atmosphere a train was rumbling by the window only 20 ft away. It had the building moving a little, only adding to the good vibrations coming from the sound-system. The place lost their fuckin minds when PL played their smash "Hot Like Sauce" with a spicier intro. Check the vid: 


PL pretty much covered his new album "Passing Behind My Eyes"

but did include a couple of new jams and the Jay-Z- "D.OA. "remix. 
He dropped the classics like "The Time has Come", "Up and Down 
I Go" and, "Aimin at Your Head". He ended his set with "More 
Important Than Michael Jordan", which was so intense it had me
craving more. Only then did I realize it was 3:30 and he was on for 
at least two and half hours.I bid my goodbyes to my new friends and
thanked them for their Atlantan hospitality. I found my new sweater 
from Christmas absolutely saturated in beer, but I could care less. 
I just slipped it on and waited for a cab with my friends with a 
permanent smile on my face. 
And that, ladies and gentlemen, was the 1st Hyp Experience post.
I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Go listen to that IRD music. 
Peace and love,

Signing out,
CPT.