Hanna Iazzetta
hiazzetta@mustangdaily.net
The dance floor vibrates as the beat drops for the first time. Several eager fans kick around, arms flailing as the opening act begins.
It is 9 p.m. on a Sunday, but that doesn’t stop the rest of the rave-esque crowd from joining the raging, sweaty dance party until around 2 a.m.
That was the scene at The Graduate this weekend, as Big Gigantic, Michael Menart, Break Science and Griz hit the venue.
Neon cut-up clothing, bro tanks, visors, short skirts and exposed midriffs were some of the standout looks that paraded through the venue.
Skywalkerr, the opening act and a University of Colorado, Boulder student, started the night with some electronic tunes. The two big triangles on his white T-shirt bounced in front of the fog-covered platform.
Architectural engineering sophomore Tyler Poucher watched from the front corner of the stage and talked about Skywalkerr’s coolness, and how glad they were they came to the concert early.
The dance floor wasn’t packed during the performance, but those who listened certainly enjoyed his set, Poucher said.
“Most of the crowd will start to fill in later, I bet,” Poucher said. “It’ll be mostly (Big Gigantic) fans tonight because it’s a Sunday. People who usually come just to have a good time probably won’t be here.”
But the fans present seemed to know how to have a good time themselves.
A dreadlocked girl twirled her body and danced with a similarly grooving guy to Skywalkerr’s house music. The rest of the crowd nodded left to right.
Skywalkerr finished his performance and joined his friends by the bar, while Michael Menart and Break Science took the stage.
Just as the sound picked up, Chris Hoage, a man with one leg, emerged from the dance floor in his wheelchair. Hoage was wearing a checkered bandana around his neck and a T-shirt covered in sweat as he rolled down a step to get to the back of the venue.
“I’m a huge EDM (electric dance music) fan,” Hoage said. “I love the music, the people, the vibe. It’s just fun. When I saw Menart and Break Science on the set list I jumped on tickets immediately. And Griz is the shit, too.”
Hoage swayed his wheels back and forth, bouncing to the music in his chair.
“I’ve been in a chair my entire life,” Hoage said. “It’s normal. It’s what I do. I usually don’t go in the crowd because it’s a pain in the ass, but I did tonight. I might go back in there. We’ll see.”
He swiveled away, one hand on one wheel and the other hand in the air, fist pumping to the beat.
Griz was the final supporting act. He wore jeans, a T-shirt, a flannel shirt and a jacket on stage, and stripped off layer after layer as his show went on.
He stayed in a hunchback stance, thrashing his body forward and back, his hair flouncing about. Ladies in the crowd cooed over Griz’ looks.
Everybody loved his music, Santa Barbara City College student Liv Willard said.
“Griz was awesome,” Willard said. “So good. His saxophone in the microphone sounded incredible. The crowd (was) killing it, too. Absolutely out of control.”
Griz finished with a cover and added his own drum beat and loops with a launch pad.
Audience members tried to find him backstage after the set, and several did. Three men were able to get a photo with the artist as backstage workers changed the set for the headlining band.
Following the set, the crowd had dispersed a bit, and the dancing was less intense until Colorado-based Big Gigantic saxophonist and producer Dominic Lalli and drummer Jeremy Salken ran onstage right around midnight.
The first song boomed and resounded through the venue as the two musicians played the drums and saxophone.
It was an entertaining mix of jazz and dubstep that rebooted the crowd for another hour of pure raging, business administration freshman Josh Kurtzman said.
“Big Gigantic is straight badass,” Kurtzman said. “I literally did not stop dancing the whole time.”
Lalli jumped with the saxophone in his hand and went back and forth from a launch pad to the instrument.
It had its effect on the crowd, along with the purple, green, blue, yellow and red lights that rained different shapes down on stage screens. A female security guard with pink hair and a studded belt helped another massive, tattooed, male security guard escort a teenage boy out of the building. A girl with a fur animal mask covering her face shuffled to the bar. And all of this carried on until 1:30 a.m.