Review: The Outbreak Tour w/ Zomboy, Cookie Monsta, & Eptic

Oh the 4th of July weekend, a time to reflect on how far our country has come since that fateful day in 1776 and celebrate by doing the one thing we Americans are unquestionably great at: partying hard and binge drinking like our livers will never fail. While most of the Chicagoland area spent their weekend relaxing, grilling, and/or boozing at various locations, people like me and the hundreds of other bass music fans at Concord Music Hall on July 5th celebrated their independence by head banging til 2:30 in the morning to the filthy sounds of Eptic, Cookie Monsta, and Zomboy. Since the show was sold out (obviously), many of you were unable to go but never fear, Magda\’s here to give you a minute-by-minute breakdown of the evening so you can experience the glory of heavy electronic music through the eyes of a 5\’4 white girl with a love for dirty dubstep filth.

10:45 PM- Arrive at Concord Music Hall. Have my Arizona ID checked by three security guards as I explain to them I go to school in Tucson but live in Chicago. This is a regular occurrence.

10:47 PM- Pick up the photo pass and am reminded that I do not have a camera nor a photographer with me. Shitty iPhone photos/videos will have to do for the night.

10:50 PM- Walk into the show room. It is already packed for Eptic who I am seeing for my first time tonight. I don\’t know what to expect but from the reviews I have gotten from others I know it\’ll be epic.

10:57 PM- The main floor is packed. Mostly males who are taller than me. I decide to go up to the platform behind the bar so I can breathe.

11:00 PM- I can finally see thanks to the nice young man from Iowa who let me stand next to him against the railing. I see the token \”Is This Real Life?\” in the crowd. Eptic is playing \”Space Cats\”. Life is good.

11:36 PM- I have been rocking out to Eptic so hard I have forgotten that I said I\’d take photos of the event. I fight my way to the front to see if I can get backstage to take some pictures of Eptic and the crowd. Denied. I retreat back to my new Iowa friends on the platform.

11:45 PM- It is now time for Cookie Monsta. Everyone who has ever seen him tells me that they have lost their minds at his shows. I am excited beyond belief and let out a \”WOO!\” as he comes on. The guy next to me tells me he digs my taste in music. I just made a new friend.

11:47 PM- Cookie Monsta spares no soul or set of ears; from the very beginning it is drop after drop after drop. My new friend buys a bottle of water and asks if I want some. Wow, he\’s so nice! I take a sip and say thank you. He asks if his act of kindness warrants a kiss. I smile and say no. It gets awkward. I yet again retreat to my Iowa friends.

12:00 AM- COOKIE MONSTA IS GREAT! COOKIE MONSTA IS FANTASTIC! MY NECK IS STARTING TO HURT FROM HEADBANGING!

12:01 AM- My friend that is with me has stayed up for 39 hours at this point. She is about to pass out. We go to the benches in the back, I get her some water, we sit down for a bit…

12:10 AM- Can\’t. Sit. Still. Must. GO. Hard.

12:15 AM- \”Adrenaline\” comes on. I can\’t sit still any longer. I get up and dance like a mad woman near my friend who is miraculously still awake.

12:45 AM- Said friend is now feeling better. We get up to go see if I can get a good angle for pictures somewhere. My new security guard friend lets my go behind the fence to take pictures. I whip out my iPhone and get ready to take some cool ass photos. I look like a groupie. I don\’t care.

12:58 AM- I snap a few pictures of the crowd. Fellow white girl screams out \”LET\’S TAKE A SELFIE!\” Naturally we take a selfie.

1:00 AM- IT IS NOW TIME FOR ZOMBOY! The anticipation builds as the music starts and the lights flicker. Zomboy jumps onto the stage and we all prepare for the wild ride to come.

1:30 AM- The crowd stands no chance. Zomboy is destroying the dance floor. My ears are about to explode as I mentally chastise myself for not bringing ear buds but I soon am too swept up in the moment to care. \”Terror Squad\” comes on and we all lose it.

1:45 AM- Mid-\”Raptor\” the power cuts off. Like all the great electronic music shows, you know its the real deal when something breaks whether its the ceiling, the dance floor, or the sound system. In this case, it was the sound system so it was a quick fix; \”Raptor\” came back on, the bass blaring loudly, commanding the crowd to keep moving.

2:00 AM- By this point I have semi-given up taking decent photos and have succumbed to the beat, keeping along with the rhythm as Zomboy controls the room with electro madness. Being the English gentleman that he is, Zomboy pays tribute to our country\’s freedom by playing \”America, Fuck Yea!\”. We all sing along. Fuck yea!!

2:20 AM- The night is nearing its end but there is just enough time for Zomboy and Cookie Monsta to throw themselves into the sea of sweaty people and surf the crowd as their fans reach up and pass them around. Well played, boys, well played.

By the end of the night I had a stiff neck, sore feet, and an incessant ringing in my ears. It was awesome. As I sat on the ride home pondering my life and scrolling through the night\’s photos, I found a photo that summarized the entire night in one perfect facial expression: classic bass-face.

The Outbreak Tour is on the road until August 3rd so check out the locations and dates here to see if you can make a show, I can promise you will not be disappointed.