“Q-dance, Q-dance, Q-dance!” was what one group was chanting back and fourth to another while waiting in line to get into the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.
With a space 54,000 square feet and a maximum capacity of 6,300 guests, there was going to be a huge turnout at the Shrine Auditorium for Q-dance on Oct. 5.
Q-dance is a concert which features artists in the electronic music subgenre known as hardstyle.
The event featured artists such as Wildstylez, Noisecontrollers, Psyko Punkz, Coone, Humanoise and Gunz for Hire.
These disk jockeys travel from places like Europe and Australia just to play huge events (like Q-dance) anywhere on the globe that’s willing to showcase them and willing to handle their countless bass kicks.
Hearing the sound tests on and off and catching glimpses of the multicolored flashing lights flickering under the bordering doors left the crowd’s anticipation relentless.
Once the doors finally opened, there wasn’t any music playing. There was just an elongated hall with a sound crew in the middle and a mammoth skull fixed as the focal point of the exposition hall.
There were merchandise stands erected on each side, a snack and drink bar and– most importantly–numerous exotically dressed partygoers ready to feel the beat and dance to the early morning.
Nearly 30 minutes within getting inside the venue, the crowd began to roar.
The opening act, Coone, walked on the stage with his hands above his head ready to get things cracking.
Without hesitation, four-four bass beats began to smack everyone’s eardrums and the crowd went insane.
On and off, the disk jockeys would switch the music choice from chest rattling hardstyle to mind-melting dubstep which seemed to really please the audience.
Occasionally, hardstyle anthems would come on that everyone knew the words to such as Benny Benassi’s “Satisfaction” or Showtek’s “FTS,” which really made the whole experience more special .
The listeners were able to connect with the people next to them as they recited the lyrics of the songs together.
Each set was about an hour that night, and near the end of the first set, the second disk jockey took the stage this time with an epic introduction. By that time, the Shrine Auditorium was at half capacity.
The place was bumping and the light shows were beginning to show their presence.
A couple hours later, Q-dance was in full swing and it was packed.
The performers were getting better and better and the rising and dropping of the music was growing more suspenseful as the night went on.
The overall experience was truly magical from the light shows to the tandem dancing in circles, the smoke machines bursting fire out of the front stage and talking with like minded people near the cigarette balcony (because talking on the dance floor is hopeless).
The best part was the culturally diverse crowd the event summoned.
All the way through the course of the night, the zealous crowd stayed consistent to the heart of the bass. Even at the end of the show, the die-hard fans still were practicing their Melbourne shuffle, a club and rave dance from Melbourne, Australia that dates back to the late ’80s.
Next year, Q-dance is coming back to Los Angeles. If you would like to experience the memorable night next time, check out the event’s information at its website at http://q-dance.com and don’t be left out!
