On Monday night we put down our books, shifted some work aside and opted to prolong our weekend by joining Alesso at the Roxy for his debut Orlando performance. Now normally when we make major decisions like that so early on in the week, there’s always something to regret. However, this time I’m pleased to report that thanks to our friends at The Evolve Group & Committee Entertainment, we were able to cover one of the best shows Roxy’s had all year. There’s not much to say for those who were doing something else with their Monday night besides, “you missed out on an absolute rager”. The only thing harder than trying to remember all the epic tracks Alesso played was coming to grips with the fact that no matter what we did or how hard we partied, it was still going to be Tuesday tomorrow and not Sunday…or Saturday for that matter. Step inside if you’re trying to relive that monsterous Monday Night or just seeing what you missed out on…
As we walked up to Roxy a little before midnight, the line said it all: Alesso is coming. Maybe its because it was Monday but thankfully all the high school kids and generally-creepy gremlins seemed to be absent from the party. Even from the outside there was no escaping the bass that was oozing into the streets of Orlando. Inside, Kid Judah was getting things started on the main floor with a great selection of huge electro tracks, most of which we’d never heard before. It’s always nice to see the crowd really digging an opener and to see the opener going above and beyond his duties. Alongside John Debo, the two DJ’s took turns setting the room’s energy level higher and higher in anticipation of the Swedish DJ/Producer, Alesso.
Around 12:45 Alesso appeared surrounded by bouncers and two of his boys – one of which looked way too similar to Nicholas Cage. Alessandro (bet you didn’t know that was his real name…now his other name makes more sense though) wasted no time turning this party into a downright shitshow. By the time he was finished I’m pretty sure he played every single one of my favorite songs including some older originals of his that I never should have let slip away. From the very first drop, the energy on the floor was ridiculous – people forgot about the day, the time and whatever else was going on and replaced those thoughts with mindless dancing and uncontrollable amounts of fist pumping. If I could compare the type of tracks that Alesso played on Monday to anything else we’ve put up on the J recently, I’d say it was like SHM’s Madison Square Garden set with a touch of Avicii, Calvin Harris and some much appreciated old school. The Swedish artist boasted a playlist stacked with unique intros, crazy vocal edits and some live bootlegs of his own. It was truly impressive to see Alesso ‘do his thing’. While we’ve covered his shows in the past, it was my first time seeing him live and I was blown away by the amount of talent he has.
Some highlights from the night include Alesso dropping his hit single ‘Nillionaire’, Avicii & Nicky Romero’s new track ‘Fuck School’ with the vocals from Justice’s ‘We Are Your Friends’, Axwell’s cut of ‘In My Mind’ by Ivan Gough, an absurd Strobe remix, Swedish House Mafia’s Paradise remix, Calvin Harris’ ‘Feel So Close’, ‘I Love You So’ by Cassius, his own Titanium remix and of course the ever-popular Levels…but not just some cheesy mainstream Levels to tie it all together, this one had an epic intro that I’d never heard before and truly got the best response of any track played all night. We wouldn’t be doing his set any justice if I failed to mention how epic some of Alesso’s original tracks are live so I’ve decided to include a couple below that I personally have overlooked and now will have on repeat until further notice.
When all was said and done Alesso had basically laid siege to Roxy, crushing his first ever Orlando performance and by doing so, redefining the start of the week. I’ll be the first to admit I had no idea how good Alesso truly was and how much of a treat it is to see the man play outside of the huge festivals and events where he’s come to make a name for himself (although I’m positive he’s on point there as well). Can’t wait to see what’s in store for the young Swede as he continues to travel the world and come out with some of the best productions in Electronic Dance Music. Big ups to the Evolve Group…we can either sit back and witness as they put their mark on Electronic shows in Orlando, or we can take part in the madness. On February 18th The Evolve Group & Committee Entertainment are returning to Roxy with PeaceTreaty and Kid Judah…grab your Tickets here!
Click Here For More Pictures from Monday Night!
-Barry ß-
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Tags: Alesso, Alesso at Roxy Orlando, Alesso Destroying Central Florida, Alesso Killing It, Alesso Live in Orlando, Alesso Remix, Avicii, Calvin Harris, Cassius, Committee Entertainment, Deadmau5, Evolve Group, Evolve Group Orlando, Ivan Gough, John Debo, Justice, Kid Judah, New Alesso, Nicky Romero, Orlando Nightlife Review, PeaceTreaty in Orlando, PeaceTreaty Orlando, Raise Your Head Alesso, ROXY, Roxy Orlando, Save the World Alesso Remix, Swedish House Mafia, The Evolve Group, The Roxy Orlando, Titanium Alesso Remix
