As the UCSD student population mourned the start of a new semester, an all ages crowd from every conceivable walk of life straddled the fine line between hollow escapism and personal freedom to the tune of Bassnectar and his sweltering, bombastic collages. When flanked by drugged-out teenagers, dudes in yellow tutus, and girls dancing in pasties and polar bear hats, one has little choice but to merge with the pulsating neon spectacle.
The dark silhouette of Bassnectar and his MacBook juxtaposed against an elaborate projection system provided sensory overload for well over two frantic hours. Witnessing Rimac Arena transformed into a quasi-rave scene for the thundering electronica of “Bass Head” and “Pink Elephants” was one of the more fascinating sociological experiments in recent San Diego history.
On a night that includes a breast cancer-surviving fellow journalist exposing her tit to you (completely unprovoked, I might add) and more than a few run-ins evading all traditional logic, you may not expect too much musicianship from the electric kool-aid acid test unraveling on stage. But Bassnectar, in addition to the impressive opener Z-Trip, pulled out a vast array of parlor tricks that kept the La Jolla crowd dancing wildly into the wee hours of Sunday morning.
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