LA was one big rave last Halloween weekend, as HARD Haunted Mansion and Monster Massive took over the city and with crazy lineups of electronic bliss. URB had the pleasure of spending Halloween night at HARD, which took place at the Shrine Auditorium. An estimated 18,000 people came out over the course of the two days, according to the 9,000 capacity that was reached according to organizer Gary Richards (as reported by LA Weekly). There were gatecrashers, counterfeit tickets and the like, but overall the event was very well-managed and under control.
Good thing, since Friday headliners Deadmau5 and 2 Many DJs were surprise guests at the Saturday show. Everyone was able to make their way between the smaller indoor stage and outdoor mainstage quite easily, making it easy to catch a bit of every act’s set if you so desired.
One of the most energetic sets of the night was undoubtedly the unstoppable Major Lazer. The brainchild of Diplo and Switch, Lazer got the crowd grooving with their insane energy and audience interaction. By the time “Pon de Floor” was blaring from the speakers, it was game over–the crowd erupted into a frenzy of flailing limbs and shaking asses.
video by Glenjamn2
Basement Jaxx brought it, as expected, mixing old classic favorites with newer gems, and throwing in some dubstep to the crowd’s delight.
video by Glenjamn2
The crowd patiently waited for Justice to set up, anticipating the treasured cross lighting up in all its glory. Gaspard and Xavier smoked their cigarettes and coolly navigated their set, never flinching or breaking their French je ne sais quoi attitude in the face of the cheers from their crowd. They dropped some surprise tracks (including Duck Sauce!), as well as well-known faves. Deadmau5’s surprise set was well-received, but left something to be desired in our opinion. Overall, “go hard or go home” seemed to be the operative motto of the night; Zombie Nation later wound the party down as the Lady Gagas and LA pixies shuffled their way to the exits…
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