Before Above and Beyond, I had never been to an EDM concert, and I had barely even listened to any EDM music in general. This concert changed that. Everything about it was enjoyable, from the light show, to the music, to the people that attended. The entire atmosphere of the House of Blues was enough to have a great time. Above and Beyond, comprised of Jono Grant, Tony McGuinness, and Paavo Silijamaki, are an English progressive trance group consistently listed on the top 100 DJs list, and with good reason too.
Being at this concert, only having listened to their work briefly before, gave me a new respect for this type of music. I had no idea what to expect going into this—I didn’t even know whether the opening act was them or not. But when Above and Beyond finally came out, they made it very clear what kind of mood they were going to be setting for the night. You could tell they wanted everyone to have the best time possible, and by the way the people in the crowd were enjoying it, they accomplished just that.
One of the best parts about this concert was the incredible light show. With one massive screen behind them and three in front, the graphics complimented the music to the point where I wasn’t sure if I wanted to dance or watch the light show. Not to mention during the show they were writing messages on the giant screen about how much they loved being in Boston, which is just another reason to like them that much more.
One thought that I had at the beginning of this concert was the large amount of signs people had that mentioned pushing a button. Throughout the whole show I saw a huge amount of signs and shirts referencing this and I had no idea what it meant. Near the end, the crowd started getting really loud and one of the members of Above and Beyond walked over to the edge of the stage and grabbed someone from the crowd. The music started to quiet down and the person they grabbed from the crowd started a countdown and when she reached zero, she hit a button on the stage and the music blasted again. It was absolutely incredible how the crowd reacted. It might have been one of the most exciting moments I’ve seen at a concert in a long time.
Needless to say I am now a fan of Above and Beyond and EDM in general. The mood of the music and the general atmosphere of the crowd is enough to make anyone enjoy it.
Above and Beyond at the House of Blues in Boston
Above and Beyond Puts on an Eyeraising Light Show
