Steve Aoki crowdsurfed Kamloops Tuesday night

A previous version of this article was published in The Omega.

Steve Aoki put on exciting show at Cactus Jack’s Saloon this past Tuesday night, living up to his reputation as one of the world’s biggest DJs.

The globetrotting DJ stopped off in Kamloops in between gigs in Whistler and Colorado.  The event was sold out, and the bar was packed with a young and enthusiastic crowd.  Either because of the cold or the value of tickets there were no ticket scalpers outside the club. 

Aoki himself didn’t come on until around 12:30 a.m.  And the push to the front by the crowd was almost immediate.  This seems to be one of the major problems with famous DJs is that their shows end up being more like rock concerts.  The crowd wants to be as close to the fame as possible and push forward, leaving little room or space on the floor to actually dance.  This is problematic for an artist like Aoki whose particular brand of electro-house isn’t that groundbreaking but is extremely effective at getting you to move your feet.  

Aoki has had a highly successful career in the music industry, constantly changing his role in the creation of music.   Founding his own record label only a year after graduating from high school, he has released albums from an incredible array of bands and artists: Bloc Party, MSTRKRFT, The Klaxons, and The Bloody Beetroots to name a few.  He has also been successful as a performer himself, and has been releasing remixes and original creations under his own name for the last couple years, The crowd was not disappointed even with all of the hype surrounding him.

The night first heated up with several talented local DJs including: Jesse Faubert (the Diplomat), Mikael Finley and Ross Koch of Totally Boss, and DJ Erik-B.  DJ Erik-B took the stage just before Aoki.  I have seen him perform many times around town, but never like this.  His mixes were inventive, and novel, but at the same time floor-fillers.  The crowd responded quickly, and the floor was packed, in a matter of seconds. 

Because of miscommunication problems, we had a little bit of difficulty getting into the show and were forced to stand outside in the cold for a while.  In that short period of time there was quite a few people walking around, unsuccessfully looking for a way to score tickets.  When we finally got into the show, the club wasn’t very crowded and had a long way to go until it filled up.  Ironically, this ended up being a good thing, as it allowed people to have room to dance and move around on the floor.  One of the biggest complaints about Cactus Jack’s has been the difficulty to move around and navigate through the club.  The layout seems to hinder flow and movement, which in turn inspires frustration and aggression among the patrons.  Tuesday night was no different, except for at the beginning of the night when the club was only half full.

             

Despite these flaws in the show, Aoki lived up to the excitement he inspired.  His beats and mixes weren’t anything you haven’t heard before, but they inspired the crowd to stand on tables and counters and dance like the possessed.  Aoki clearly fed off the crowd’s energy and reacted like a wild man on the stage, jumping up and down,screaming into the microphone and even jumping into the crowd.  Overall, the night was a success, displaying both local and international talents to a wildly enthusiastic and energetic crowd.