“DC is all we need,” tweeted opener Lane 8. And as Echostage rallies for votes to climb the rankings of DJMags’ Top 100 Clubs list, the snow Thursday morning wasn’t going to stop fans from making it to the We Are All We Need Tour.
Headliners ABOVE & BEYOND brought together a diverse group of music fans. It was as if Echostage was the scene of colliding worlds. Men in leather jackets stood next to kandi-wearing rave-girls in the front row. The crowd ranged in ages and attire, but all were united in the music.
By 10:30 p.m., there was barely any room to walk through the dance floor, and plenty of glow sticks and homemade fansigns were peppered through the space. Friday’s show was already sold out, and with tickets going fast at the door on Thursday, you wouldn’t question that this tour was a must-see.
Lane 8 opened, warming everyone up with mostly lyric-less music. Through repetitive take-me-away-from-my-world tracks, “boots and cats” never felt so inviting.
And just when we heard the tempo slowing down, and thought the set was coming to a close, Lane 8 put a spell over the crowd with his remix of Odeza’s “Bloom.”
But the big moment everyone was waiting for was for ABOVE & BEYOND to launch their set with “We Are All We Need.” The black screen filled with swirling names of fans, the band members, and album contributors — assembling to shape the giant hand we recognize from their new album.
It’s hard to write about this night with words, when filling this post with the sights and sounds will only just start to describe it. The audio was above our expectations, and the text-on-screen visuals pushed the experience beyond just another trance show.
The group prides themselves in inspiring what they call “communal emotion” through their work. It’s all about the togetherness, whether sharing emotions that are happy or sad. Teetering on the feels you get from an anti-bullying PSA, this push for closeness is totally genuine. Fans feel love from these music giants, who instead of becoming distant with their humongous fame, have continued to connect to their followers.
It was a massive sing-along for their new hits like “Sticky Fingers” and “All Over the World.” And a camera capturing the crowd live and projecting it on the big screen showed the fans what it was like to go beyond being in the dance pit, literally surrounding ABOVE & BEYOND.
A thought that really struck us was from band-member Tony McGuinness on the ABOVE & BEYOND website, explaining how there is so much more to their music than just aiming to make tracks for Friday nights. Fridays are the time when we are, as he describes, instructed to put our hands in the air, shake our booties, and make some fucking noise.
“What about Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday? What about the rest of your life? What happens after you meet the girl or guy in the club and you get together and start living your life?
There’s so much more to write songs about than partying.”
With the personalized statements that were projected on the screen behind them like “HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE IN THE BEST CLUB IN AMERICA?” and “HELLO DC” this was the dance party you always wanted to be at. McGuinness was caught having a great time getting warmed up on stage:
ABOVE & BEYOND also gave a couple special shout outs: one to Echostage co-owner Pete Kalamoutsos for “MAKING THIS CLUB SO F’ING GREAT” and one to Washington’s “finest export,” music producer Andrew Bayer, who works closely with the band.
Their encore was 2011’s “Thing Called Love.” And it was a nice way to wrap up the night, with the timeless reminder:
“You live your life just once. So don’t forget about a thing called LOVE.”
Article by Cristina Rayas – Photos by Toby Mues