As soon as news broke out that Dada Life was coming to San Diego on October 25th, this became an event everyone wanted to attend. Dada Life doesn’t come around to Southern California much, but when they do it is a pretty big deal. At first most of their show was a secret but then news broke out that they would have a supporting line up of Caveat, Clockwork, Craze, Jacques Lu Cont, Michael Woods, TJR, and A-Trak. Now I was even more excited about the show than before.
I got to the Valley View Sports Arena right at about 9pm when the doors were being opened. There was already a line out the door of people waiting to get in but I was happy to see that this time around LED was a lot more prepared. Security and gates were set up for lines which led to everyone getting in a lot smoother than previous events. I was also happy to see that even inside the venue it was easier to get down to the main dance floor. Craze was mid set when I got down to the dance floor. I’ve never seen him before but know about his superb scratching skills. He had the crowd grooving while everyone headed down to secure their spot. By the time Clockwork was going to start the dance floor was filled to the back as well as the stands on the left and right. Clockwork has blown up this year and has been a huge fan favorite. His electro house style sets hit so hard there is absolutely no way you can stand still. Unfortunately he only played for 45 minutes but he threw down such an incredible set.
It was now the time of the night we had all been waiting for. Dada Life’s giant inflatable logo blew up on stage and Dada Life began their opening song. Olle Corneer of Dada Life stood on top of the DJ table and yelled out to the crowd, “Welcome to Dada Land. We are Dada Life. Are you guys ready to kick out the epic mother fucker with us tonight?” Then they dropped their hit song “Rolling Stones T-Shirt” and everyone went bananas. Dada Life threw giant inflatable bananas and champagne bottles into the crowd, which got thrown around everywhere. Ironically, Dada Life were dressed up as a couple of apples for Halloween. Dada Life played all their hit songs including their new release “Born To Rage” as well as “Feed The Dada” and “Kick Out The Epic Motherfucker.” Dada Life has a set of rules they apply when attending their shows. Rule number thirteen of the Rules Of Dada clearly states to arrive beautiful and leave ugly, which is exactly what we did. From the costumes, inflatables, lasers, confetti drops, and grinding bass, Dada Life threw one hell of a set.
Have a listen to their latest release “Born To Rage” out now on Beatport
Photos by Kevin Archila