GRiZ Pops Off on Night One of Weekend at The Armory
Only a special event could get me temporarily out of the funk that has felt ever present since the beginning of the year. While I am more than excited to be approaching the pinnacle of my Boston Marathon training cycle and nearing a personal goal of mine, the start of a weekend of GRiZ shows at The Armory topped that event. I am a special case, and decided to pregame for this show by taking care of my 15 mile weekend long run and fitting a nap in, all before making my way to downtown Minneapolis with plenty of fading daylight left lighting the sky.
As I entered The Armory, the first act of the night was already on stage. American Beatbox champion HerShe was cruising along through her set, getting the crowd warmed up for the full night of EDM ahead. HerShe has a handful of tracks that have made it into my wife’s playlist, and we were both eager to catch the vibes in real time, and were blown away. I walked into the show not knowing much at all about HerShe, but left her set in awe. Not only did HerShe bring her own eclectic tracks, she also featured her incredible beatboxing and remixes of club anthems, the crowd happily grooving along to each moment.
After HerShe departed the stage and a quick changeover, it was time for K+Lab. Once again, knowing not a whole lot about the artist on stage, I was quickly surprised to see K+Lab bust out a keytar early and often throughout his set. While the native New Zealander mentioned this was his last set in the U.S. (TBD if there will be another in the near future), he also mentioned the nation’s love of drumming and bass, with those elements woven into some of the songs he showcased. What really caught my attention with K+Lab’s set was the honestly really cool animations playing on the LED screen behind him. Each song featured something different and helped to bring the experience of his set to life, and instead of only getting lost in the music, I was captivated by the dual sensory experiences of art.
Next up after K+Lab was Nashville based bass music connoisseur Effin. By this time, The Armory was completely packed, with the crowd eager to dance and groove along to both Effin and eventually GRiZ. Similar to K+Lab, Effin brought his own style of visuals to bring more life to the tracks bumping out of the speakers. Sonically, it felt like Effin was taking the crowd on an adventure, bass thumping in the venue, the crowd dancing, and myself mesmerized by the lights, sound, and watching the crowd vibing along. While there were parts of Effin’s set that felt a bit repetitive to me, it was easy to groove with each track, anticipating each drop, and enjoying the show.
Finally, it was time for GRiZ to take the stage. I have only had the pleasure of seeing GRiZ perform once before back in 2019, also at The Armory, and I was excited to be able to catch another set, even if the start time was about 3 hours past my usual bedtime. GRiZ has released a ton of music since “Ride Waves,” and I knew he would be playing more of the newer tracks versus the old, however, I was pleasantly surprised to catch quite a few of my favorite running tracks mixed in (including “Burn up the Floor” & “Vibe Check” from “Rainbow Brain”). I also loved that GRiZ not only played his own tracks, but mixed up a few covers/remixes of classics like “Wonderwall,” “No Diggity,” and “I Want it That Way,” putting his own flair on them. It goes without saying that outside of the legit incredible lighting/lasers, pyro, and sparks, one of the best elements of a GRiZ set is when he brings out musicians he frequently collaborates with, like ProbCause, Chrishira, and The Late Night Horns. This is one of my favorite parts of his shows, these fellow musicians perfectly weaving in and out of the set, significantly boosting the live experience of a lot of the tracks.
One of the standout moments for me during the show was both the beginning and end of the set, where GRiZ was vocal and supportive of the communities in Minneapolis, standing up for the injustices the people in these communities have faced, while also encouraging those in attendance to show love and continue to build community in their everyday life. That sentiment was brought to life during every moment of GRiZ’s set on Friday night, and those that snagged tickets to both shows over the weekend get to relive the incredible experience one more time. All I can say is that I hope it’s not another seven years before GRiZ makes a return to the Twin Cities.
