Spring Massive Baltimore
Saturday March 12 at Bourbon Street (Baltimore MD)
It’s fun to think about going to a music festival that takes place on different dates, in different cities. From afar, the idea could seem troublesome or not worthwhile. However, the guys behind Steez Promo have shown that it is possible and more than worth it. Spring Massive followed up its impressive show on Friday in Richmond with Rounds 2 and 3, taking place on Saturday and Sunday in Baltimore. I was able to make the trek to Baltimore on Saturday (my first time in Baltimore, ever, by the way) and after feeling like I was lost several times, I made it. Bourbon Street is quite the venue. It has a huge capacity and architecture allowing the Steez guys to run not one, not two, but four stages! I was interested to see how they would pull this off.
Spring Massive Baltimore
Saturday March 12 at Bourbon Street (Baltimore MD)
It’s fun to think about going to a music festival that takes place on different dates, in different cities. From afar, the idea could seem troublesome or not worthwhile. However, the guys behind Steez Promo have shown that it is possible and more than worth it. Spring Massive followed up its impressive show on Friday in Richmond with Rounds 2 and 3, taking place on Saturday and Sunday in Baltimore. I was able to make the trek to Baltimore on Saturday (my first time in Baltimore, ever, by the way) and after feeling like I was lost several times, I made it. Bourbon Street is quite the venue. It has a huge capacity and architecture allowing the Steez guys to run not one, not two, but four stages! I was interested to see how they would pull this off.
We arrived at the venue a little before 8 and decided to take a little tour of the place. After working around a maze of hallways and stairs, we decided to set up camp in “The Ballroom.” Porter Robinson was preparing for takeoff and I was surprised at how young this DJ was. Robinson had a tough job, being one of the heavier hitters on the bill and at an early time slot; he had to make sure to keep the people live and moving. I was pleased with how Robinson worked the crowd and ultimately got the ball rolling for an evening I will never forget.
AC Slater returned for Round 2 after Porter Robinson, giving a proper set to a proper crowd this time. While Richmond was treated to the guest vocals of his sidekick, Dell, Baltimore gave AC not only a bigger crowd, but more energy. The end result was a great bass heavy set that was sure to please everyone. It was good to see a great turnout for a DJ who, in my book, is one of the more creative producers in the game right now.
Standing on stage, it seemed as if I was surrounded by a secret meeting of sorts. AC Slater, Craze, Z-Trip, Bart B More, and more whom I didn’t recognize were catching up with each other, sharing stories from being on the road and indulging in each other’s company. It was a sight to see as Bart B More took his turn behind the table. Being one of the few DJs who avoids using a laptop in his live performance, Bart B More played a completely different set than he had in Richmond, to the delight of the few that had witnessed his performance the night before. I later learned that he was even giving a test run to some new productions, so keep your ears peeled! I was even able to catch the tail end of Skism’s bass-heavy set in “The Quarter.” It was filled to the brim with pounding bass lines, feeding those in the first row with enough bass to tide them over until the next Steez event.
DJ Craze. The name is synonymous with too many adjectives; I’m having a hard time figuring out what to say. For fans of turntablism, it’s important to know that DJ Craze is the only person to ever win 3 consecutive DMC world titles. I have been waiting years to finally see Craze perform, and was not disappointed. The master dropped countless anthems, spanning several genres, all while teasing and amazing us with his unlimited knowledge of turntable tricks. We watched in awe as Craze DJ’ed while turning a 180, juggling both tables without looking and dropping a beat that had the whole crowd shifting.
Still in awe at the intensity of Z-Trip’s set the night before, I was curious to see how Baltimore was going to respond to a DJ who wasn’t necessarily known for his bass heavy anthems as much as for his influence within the turntable and hip-hop communities. Having the knowledge that he does, Z-Trip did not delay in dropping the tunes that would keep the skeptical fans from leaving. After hooking everyone in and securing his headlining spot, we were treated to a back catalogue of club anthems and multi-genre favorites from the past few decades. He dropped a Rage Against the Machine track, and after teasing them about how “big of a mosh pit I had last night in Richmond,” Baltimore once again one-upped Richmond. It is quite a sight to see a bunch of “ravers” run around in their version of a sweaty and neon-filled mosh pit.
This was the turning point in the set. There were too many DJ’s on stage for the crowd not to have fun. Z-Trip and Craze did a mini-scratch battle, to the delight of the turntablism fans out there. Things started to get wild and soon reached the point where we were all singing the lyrics to every song. Z-Trip commanded that the crowd help DJ Craze crowd surf as far as they could get him, eventually dropping him next to the bar. Soon after, Z-Trip took his turn crowd surfing as far as possible before returning to the stage and passing the torch to AC Slater. I have never seen so many DJs crowd surf, all having the time of their lives. Everyone was dancing, and you could not have a bad time in that room if you tried. The result was one of the most memorable endings to a show in recent memory.
Z-Trip mixed into Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.” If anyone in the crowd did not know the words to this song, they should not have been at this show. Being next to Z-Trip’s right-hand man on stage, I could see that Z-Trip had hit the end of his running time. Anxiety set in as hundreds of people belted out every lyric to this classic Queen song. Security and the sound guys were threatening to cut him off as he pleaded to let the song play out. Several times they approached him and told him to cut the music, but the anthem was too strong and the people too dedicated. Ultimately, the power was cut from the back. After a moment of realization as to what had happened, the entire crowd (including the bartenders, security, and other personnel) continued to sing the final verse of the song, bringing everyone to a level of excitement not often seen at that hour of the night. Steez did it again.
I was forced to head home, missing Sunday’s show, but I’m unsure if I could have taken another day of that level of partying. God speed to those who made it all three days.
