A little over seven months ago I journeyed to Hampton, Virginia to experience a two night event called BassLights. Not only did it provide me with the material for my first published article, but it opened me up to a whole new world of music. This past weekend I was able to build upon that first article, and that first event, by flying out to Denver, Colorado for the rebranded Bass Center hosted by electronic music mastermind Lorin Ashton, aka Bassnectar.
The event took place at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park just outside of Denver in Commerce City, Colorado. Soccer fields outside the stadium were converted to campgrounds, the roads and walkways leading to the venue taken over by hand-picked vendors and numerous activities in which attendees could partake. From the moment you turned down E. 56th Ave to get to the stadium, you could see the tents and Bass Center flags, as well as the towering stage peeking up from inside the field.
The lineup itself was worth the adventure, but the experience as a whole will last with me for a lifetime. Featured on the diverse list of acts were Minnesota, Lupe Fiasco, Flying Lotus, and Flux Pavilion on Friday July 29th, and Thriftworks, G. Jones, AlunaGeorge, Porter Robinson, and Wu Tang Clan on Saturday July 30th. Each night would conclude with an unbelievable extended set from Bassnectar, totaling close to 5 hours of music. The months leading up to the festival were filled with buzz, anticipation, and speculation about what might be in store for us when we arrived; but nothing could have prepared us for what we experienced.