The lasers have dimmed, the confetti has settled, and the bass is off. Bassnectar‘s 11th annual celebration in Hampton, Virginia has concluded. Let me tell you all about our journey in The Mothership.
I used to be skeptical of Lorin Ashton. I couldn’t understand why his fans traveled across the country on a type of religious pilgrimage for his curated events. Last year, I gave him a chance, sat in a car for 18 hours, and attended Basscenter X. I immediately understood the hype. I kept repeating, “I get it now,” throughout the first night.
Basscenter XI, though only being two nights this year, was nothing short of an ethereal experience. Lorin may say some incredibly questionable things on social media, but you can’t deny that the man knows how to throw a party.
Absolutely everything was on point. Track selection, lights & lasers, sound quality, visuals, astronaut blow-up dolls, loving ambassadors and kind police officers made the weekend an unforgettable experience.
In terms of the tracklist, a few of my standouts include “No Way,” Kid Cudi‘s “Day ‘N’ Nite,” “Sugarcube,” “Rising Rising,” “Butterfly,” The Beatles‘ “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds,” “Easy Does It,” and Peekaboo‘s “Maniac” (click links to watch!).
Before his set on night two, he paid tribute to Aretha Franklin by playing out her timeless song “Respect.”
i haven’t seen anyone talk about this Aretha tribute before night two and it was really just a very nice touch 💙 well done @bassnectar pic.twitter.com/k9xIvJvtuA
— ༺ a l a n a ༻ (@HeyyLana) September 4, 2018
Lo gets political
As Lorin typically does, he got political on night two. He exemplified the broken system of the electoral college. Prior to the event, fans could vote for one of four sought-after tracks for him to play. He explained that although the popular vote went to “Leprechauns Arise,” we were listening to “Ted-fucking-Nugent” because that’s what the system chose.
Thank you so much @bassnectar for never censoring the message that NEEDS to be heard. pic.twitter.com/QNN8yggh13
— 𝚜𝚙𝚊𝚌𝚎 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚓𝚞𝚖𝚙𝚎𝚛 💫 (@allieypop) September 3, 2018
Lorin and his ambassadors reminded us throughout the weekend that we’re capable of anything.
you have the power to change things✨🙏 #FSOSF @bassnectar @bass_network #BCXI pic.twitter.com/IOS6PHTQpw
— mitch ➡️ Sauce Lands (@mcalkins3) September 5, 2018
WHEN I GROW UP I WANNA BE AN ASTRONAUT‼️🔊 👩🏽🚀 @bassnectar SICK VISUALS pic.twitter.com/JKytsB1iSU
— basssquid↪️BCXI🦑 (@_sidddd) September 4, 2018
Aside from the music and insane production, artists filled the lots with handmade crafts and clothing. DJs including Mad Zach and Of The Trees played sets as fans waited for the doors to open. Hampton’s wonderful uniformed officers even handed out wristbands with a smile on their face. The Dub Bus, a tailgate party of sorts, set up in various parking lots throughout the weekend and featured sets by Mystic Grizzly and DiCE MaN.
All in all, if you get the chance to attend a Bassnectar-curated event, please take the plunge. It’s a pilgrimage filled with memories that any bass music fan will savor.