Steve Aoki Turns House of Blues into a Festival Floor

Tyler Lavoie ’16 / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer

These days, tours are all about showmanship. Everyone from pop stars to bedroom producers have been known to tote around their own lights, beach-themed dance crews, or 150,000 watts of PK subwoofers.

During his recent House of Blues show, Steve Aoki was no exception. The electro house producer slated a tour this year to support his album, Neon Future I. True to his festival legacy, Aoki maintained a stream of tricks that kept the energy high.

The mayhem started when he jumped down from his podium to pop champagne bottles onto a willing audience. A drop or two later, the enormous onstage robot statues turned out to be more than just statues, when they marched forward and bathed the audience in jets of mist. About halfway through, Aoki threw the first of his legendary cakes, introduced giant pool floaties, and covered the floor in confetti.

These antics mark Aoki’s style. Unfortunately, so did the feeling that he was leaving the bandstand too frequently to support his music. Fortunately, opening hardstyle legend Headhunterz provided a counterpoint to Aoki’s insanity. His set was a less homogenous, more intimate experience – with equally heavy drops.

Altogether, the Neon Future tour is an unmissable experience. For anyone waiting on summer festivals: see Steve Aoki now. He has more than enough up his sleeve to hold you over.