Ages: 16 & Over
Doors Open: 07:00PM
Announcement: Tue, 21 Nov 2023 at 10:00AM MST
Hardstyle, dubstep, and metal are a few genres that KAYZO fuses to create his distinctive sound. This Los Angeles-based producer and DJ are an Icon Collective alumni who has been perfecting his craft for over a decade. In addition to touring and performing at world-renowned music festivals, including EDC Las Vegas, Electric Zoo, and Lollapalooza, he founded his label, Welcome Records. He also hosts his own radio show titled Doghouse Radio!
On Spotify alone, KAYZO has over 1.3 million monthly listeners. This summer, he released a brand new full-length album titled NEW BREED. This twenty-track masterpiece contains over an hour of hard-hitting originals and collaborations with artists such as ATLiens and Phase One. If you haven’t listened to KAYZO‘s music yet, we suggest you listen to “Wake Up” with RIOT, “Suffocate” with BAD OMENS, and “The Sickness” with GHOSTKID.
On Saturday, August 27th, headbangers, bass heads, metal heads, and anyone looking to rage gathered at the Mission Ballroom in Denver, Colorado. Joining KAYZO were SweetTooth, HOL!, Emo Nite, and NETSKY.
As soon as doors opened, attendees wasted no time heading into the venue. This venue holds nearly four thousand people. However, the stage can be moved depending on the expected capacity for the night. This is an awesome way to create the feel of an intimate, packed show, no matter the size. This venue has a spot for everyone between the large floor area, tiered seating in the back, and two VIP balconies. Multiple bars, restrooms, and water fountains can be found throughout the venue, along with food and merchandise.
SweetTooth did not come to mess around, proven by the experimental dubstep that he played throughout his set. Basic colorful overhead lights set the mood along with his own graphics on an LED screen behind the DJ table. He also played a new remix that he did for one of KAYZO‘s tracks. At the end of his set, he sang a pop-punk track from the band he’s also a part of!
HOL! took the stage next. This French producer and DJ had an awesome amount of energy and stage presence, helping to get the crowd more engaged and ready for the rest of the night. He played some brand new original tracks during his set and even started a wall of death and an all-girls mosh pit. Some really cool graphics took over the LED screen behind him as he interacted with the crowd.
According to Emo Nite, they are “Not a band. Not DJs. We throw parties for the music we love.” This traveling party celebrating throwback pop-punk and rock are almost always on tour. And, they also jumped onto a few of KAYZO’s tour dates! Although this set seemed a little bit surprising and unexpected at first, the crowd absolutely loved it.
Songs from artists like Fall Out Boy and Blink-182 were tastefully mixed with pop and electronic songs while visuals from 2000’s commercials and video clips were played. The two DJs on stage had tons of energy, and so did the crowd!
The final artist to take the stage before KAYZO was Belgium drum-and-bass legend NETSKY. More rows of lights were added to the stage production for this set, and it was clear that the anticipation and energy in the venue continued to grow. NETSKY played many drum-and-bass songs that the crowd knew and sang along to. Meanwhile, trippy, brightly colored graphics swirled around behind him. At one point, he played the Luude remix of Men At Work’s “Down Under” which seemed to be a hit. Then, he finished off his set with his track “Let Me Hold You” with Hybrid Minds.
By this point in the night, the floor was pretty full but not squished. There was more room in the back on the tiered seating, and the VIP balconies were next to empty. Even though the venue looked and felt full, everyone had space to breathe, and there weren’t any lines for drinks or bathrooms.
After a brief set-change to prepare the stage for KAYZO’s headline set, the man finally made his way to the stage. The combination of his music, stage presence, and production truly did transform the venue into another world. In addition to the enormous LED screen behind him, the front of the DJ booth was also LED, merging visuals with what was on the big screen. He also had additional light rigs on either side of the stage, with bright light bars and more lights that shined out into the audience. These moved in sync with the music, creating an effect similar to lasers. And, get this, he also had cryo that joined his other production during the drops.
In addition to bangin’ originals like “Welcome To The Doghouse“, he also played remixes of Shouse’s “Love Tonight,” and Baha Men’s “Who Let The Dogs Out“. Then, he played a sound byte saying, “Hey mom, could you pick me up?” that immediately transformed into a crazy dubstep drop. Let me tell you, his graphics were a bit scary and hell-ish, so hopefully, nobody had to call their mom.
KAYZO was so much fun to watch! One thing that stood out about his stage presence was his big, strong arm movements. He took control of the stage and the crowd, which you don’t see too often. He even instructed the crowd to go feral, which everyone seemed to follow through with (LOL). Headbangers took charge of the rail while multiple mosh pits could be seen in the crowd.
Towards the end of his set, he brought out a special guest called “bone daddy”. Enter: CALCIUM. They played a song together before KAYZO brought out his girlfriend, CRAY. They performed their song, “Love Me Hate Me” with De’Wayne together. Couple goals, right? At the end of the night, KAYZO paused the show to bring a few fans up on stage, and the venue got to witness a proposal! What an ending to a crazy memorable night.
KAYZO’s New Breed Tour was an amazing show from start to finish. Each artist on the lineup played a unique set that interacted with the crowd and got them ready for the rest of the night. Hardstyle, metal, dubstep, and more flooded the venue, with everyone dancing and headbanging. If you love to rage, you should check out a KAYZO show!
To keep up with all things KAYZO, including tour dates and new releases, check out his socials below!
Photos by Aeron Reinhardt Photography
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