If you are a fan of heavy bass, intense drops, and high-energy dubstep, you’ve certainly heard of producer and DJ Ray Volpe. On Saturday, January 31st, he transported the sold-out Mission Ballroom in Denver, Colorado, to the Volpeverse. This monumental show was a part of his FOREVER, VOLPETRON tour in support of his debut album.
Volpe announced this show back in August of last year, when he opened for Excision at Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre. Since then, the excitement has been overwhelming in the Mile High City. This was his first time playing this venue, and he absolutely crushed it. The stacked lineup included CELO (real name Marcel Clota), TYNAN (real name Kevin Hickey), and PhaseOne (real name Graeme Duffy).
The Mission Ballroom is a beautiful music venue in Denver’s River North Arts District (RiNo). It can accommodate an adjustable capacity ranging from 2,200 to 3,950 people. Denver locals often call this venue the “indoor Red Rocks” as the tiered seating benches in the back of the venue afford concert-goers an elevated view of the stage and crowd. The venue also offers a VIP balcony for those who prefer to have a reserved seating area.
Ramping Up with CELO
Doors for the show opened at 8:00 PM, with Clota starting at 8:20 PM. About halfway through his set, the tiered seating area was full, and the floor was about halfway full. These headbangers did not come to play (or miss any music)! There were also lots of great costumes and outfits, including mushroom onesies, light-up tutus, and of course, a wide variety of artist jerseys.
The stage setup consisted of an elevated platform with the decks and table on top. Strobes, multi-colored lights, a massive LED wall, and vertical light bars were behind the DJ booth. The openers used all of these production features as well. “Shout out to anyone that’s older than twenty-five,” Clota said into the mic as he played “Kyoto” by Skrillex, featuring Sirah. He also played remixes of a few other throwback songs, like “Hotel Room Service” by Pitbull.
TYNAN and PhaseOne
Hickey was up next on the decks, and he came in swinging. “I’m gonna play some heavy sh*t,” he yelled into the mic. By this point in the night, the venue was noticeably filling up as bass heads continued to pour into the venue. In addition to playing new releases featuring GTA and TVBOO, he remixed some classics like “Free Bird” by Lynyrd Skynyrd. At one point, “oh lord Jesus, it’s a fire” played out on the speakers right before a drop, which was quite legendary. The energy in the venue was electric, as everyone smiled and danced together. For the last bit of Hickey’s set, a few lasers were deployed, too!
Next, it was Duffy’s turn to keep the show going. The venue was full now, and the crowd was insanely hype during his intro. The number of lasers increased for Duffy’s set, as he somehow escalated the energy in the room even more. He played new music that he produced with Funtcase as well as Kompany. His set incorporated more instrumental bass tracks, with a few remixes of popular songs added in.
Volpe Ballroom
Finally, it was time for Volpe to take the stage after a quick changeover. Almost right out of the gate, he played one of his most well-known songs, “LASERBEAM“. This track was “streamed half a million times across platforms in under two weeks of release,” according to Insomniac. So it was no surprise when the crowd screamed as the song began. During the drop, a disgustingly absurd amount of lasers lit up the venue. Seriously, so many lasers! They carved out the shape of his logo on a few of the venue walls, which was awesome.
Pyrotechnics, cryogenics, and fireworks were also added to the already impressive list of stage production. While Volpe performed, there was a camera attached to the DJ decks facing him, and a videographer behind him at times. Live video of him interacting with either camera was periodically shown on the LED wall. It gave music video vibes and was a really fun aspect of the show.
“TAKE ME TO THE RAVE”
Some other tracks that Volpe played throughout the night were “SEE YOU DROP“, “SONG REQUEST“, “REWIND” with Sullivan King, and one of his favorite songs off of his EP, which is “CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR” with Point North. During his set, he reminded everyone to drink water since it was quite hot inside the venue.
Towards the end of his set, Volpe talked about how he remembered the last time he headlined in Denver, which was at the Ogden Theatre in 2024. When his set was almost over, he sat on the DJ table and took in the crowd, while the lyrics “I love you forever” flashed on the screen behind him. It was quite emotional, as you could tell how big a moment this was for him.
Once his set was over and he left the stage, the crowd began chanting in hopes of an encore. Volpe came back on stage and said his tour manager said that he did not have time to play one more song. Instead, he had time to play a couple more!
FOREVER, VOLPETRON
From start to finish, this show was incredible. The opening artists on the lineup did a perfect job of keeping the crowd engaged and energized, leading up to Volpe’s set. And of course, it was 100% worth the wait.
The lasers and visuals, heavy dubstep that Denver loves, and kindness from everyone in the crowd made for the ultimate night. After the show, Volpe posted a story on his Instagram saying he was seriously impressed with the crowd. People were in the mosh pit giving shoulder rides, knew the words to “ANESTHETIC” with Mathue, and headbanging on the rail and balconies. It’s safe to say that Volpe will definitely be back in Denver! Hopefully, sooner rather than later.
Click here to view the remaining dates of the FOREVER, VOLPETRON tour!
Photo courtesy of Ray Volpe
