Concert Review: Bassnectar at Madison Square Garden

Concert Review: Bassnectar at Madison Square Garden

Emilia Haycock, Staff Writer

On October 4th, I went to see Bassnectar play at Madison Square Garden with a former West Morris Central student, Stephanie D’agostini.

The tickets were a steep $110, but it was so worth it. Or so I thought.

I gave Stef the money, and she bought the tickets…on Craigslist. Looking back, it wasn’t the smartest idea. But it was Bassnectar so we did anything to get in.

On the day of the concert, I arrived in New York and took the subway to the venue. We sprinted to the door and the man scanned our tickets. A large red ‘X’ appeared on his scanner. He said with no expression: “This is a fake ticket.” My heart dropped.

So for the next hour or so, Stef and I ran around MSG trying to get in. We eventually went to Window 2 where they deal with ticket issues. The man looked at us and told us to step aside. Five other people behind us gave him their ticket, and he stamped them as “fraud” and asked them to leave.

But for some reason, Stef and I got lucky and the man printed us two new tickets. We both cried; we were so happy. Although we missed Rusko and Paper Diamond, we were there for Bassnectar.

There were hundreds of thousands of people in the venue. We got to stand in general admissions and pushed ourselves through the crowd to get right in front of the stage. We were so close to the stage I couldn’t believe it. Everyone around us was so happy and kind. It was like everyone knew each other; no one was a stranger.

Big Gigantic was playing right before Bassnectar came on. All of a sudden, Big Gigantic ended and all I could see was a long, crazy haired, man appear on stage. Everyone went wild. It was him. Bassnectar was right in front of me.

The music was amazing. He played new music from his new album, “Noise vs. Beauty”. The lights were wild and everyone was dancing. There was a giant screen behind him that had images and patterns flashing throughout the concert. I can honestly say it was the most fun I’ve ever had. I struggled to take it all in because all my senses were delighted. The music was unforgettable, the scenery was beautiful, and the environment was just so happy.

And then my favorite song “You & Me” came on. They brought the actual singer on stage and she started to sing. I let out a huge scream and sang along. When the bass dropped, confetti shot out of the stage and snowed all over the crowd. It was stunning.

After the concert, we took a subway back to Stef’s dorm. Bassnectar is playing in Connecticut and needless to say, we’re going.