Review: Afrojack JACKED The Vogue Vancouver 5/19/12

Afrojack is a master. His performance was perfect. The Vogue completely melted, with everyone in it, and we were happy to be there. Let’s start at the beginning: the openers Aki Nair and Bobby Burns. Aki Nair’s hot jungle beats and his immaculate greased hair open the show with a full moon party vibe. The beaches of Thailand were alive on The Vogue’s dance-floor. He throws intense looks at his Macbook Pro that would make Zoolander weep. Then comes Bobby Burns. I’d heard some Bobby Burns mixes before, and they were damn impressive. Live, though, he’s a whole different monster. Some DJ’s have no stage presence – that’s because Bobby Burns kept it all for himself. He bursts with it, singing along to his happy beats and carrying us through the entire performance with his explosive yet somehow nonchalant hand gestures that follow his well-timed breaks. If he weren’t opening for Afrojack, he would be closing acts all across the nation. So, Bobby Burns finishes his set, and we all know what that means. *breath* Afrojack.

An act with this much hype is bound to be a let down, so I temper my expectations. “Grant, he’s only human” I say to myself, as I try to exorcise his hype and celebrity status from my beating heart. Then Afrojack reveals himself like a goddamn Jedi in his grey tunic, smiling wryly at the crowd — no longer David Guetta’s young Padawan, his confidence puts us all under a spell before he even touches his setup. The force is strong with this one. He throws his robe to the ground and begins his set. Meticulous and focused, his body conforms to the music. He conducts his famous screeching high notes as if he were born with a theremin at the tips of his fingers. He mouths the pounding bass notes as if he were screaming the beats from his throat instead of from his Fruity Loops. It is magic.

He doesn’t need his own hypeman, but he brought one anyways – what else would you expect from this decadent, larger than life presence of pure musical innovation. He plays the favourites: Can’t Stop Me Now and Take Over Control get the biggest reactions. Not that anything gets a small reaction. He has us the whole way. We are completely engaged. His music takes over complete control from our swaying heads to our bouncin’ booties. He strings out a bass-heavy No Beef, my personal favourite. He BLASTS Swedish House Mafia’s latest track, Greyhound. Jaws drop. To close, he plays a different version of Take Over Control, he lets the programming take care of itself, and walks to the front of the stage to shake hands and pound fists. Everyone rushes to get a touch of his surprisingly smooth hands (he totally moisturizes). He takes his time with us, showing his appreciation for our ever-growing adoration. Then, one more drop and he fades out, off to perform another Blueprint Events show at Celebrities Nightclub. We chant “ONE MORE SONG,” but the man is in high demand – he has a schedule to keep, and more minds to melt.

By: Grant Petersen