We last saw Carnage at Soundgarden Hall last February when he was part of the Philly Mega line-up that was headlined by Cookie Monsta. On Friday, November 22nd, he returned to headline his own show with 3lau, and locals Elvis Suarez and John G. The show was so highly anticipated that it sold out over a week in advance, leaving those who waited too long to secure their tickets literally out in the cold.
There was already a decent sized line (for both over and under 21) when we arrived at 10pm.
John G. was just starting his set as we walked into the venue and the dance floor was already pretty packed with people. Suarez, who had just finished his opening set, told us that the venue had been equally as full for a majority of his set.
While John G. was playing we took the chance to walk around, talk to fans, and snap some photos before the venue filled up to much to easily move through the crowd with camera gear. It was clear how excited everyone was to see Carnage; more excited than we’ve seen for any show recently (and that’s saying a lot).
At 11pm 3lau, which is pronounced “Blau” (his last name) not “Three-Lau” like we heard uttered a few too many times, hit the stage to wow fans with his signature mash-ups. We’re not really sure why some people take offense to mash-ups. From Soulwax, to Z-trip, Girl Talk to White Panda, we’ve always had a bit of affinity for mash-ups (and mash-up artists) and 3lau is no exception.
Rocking new silver winged sneakers that he’d picked up earlier in the day during a shopping trip on South Street with Carnage, 3lau flew around the stage. He spent equal amounts of time behind the decks, in front of the decks, and even standing over the decks (catching some pretty serious air when we decided to leap off).
We wish we’d be able to catch his entire set but we had to leave part way through to meet up with Carnage in the Green Room for our scheduled interview. “Where can I watch this interview ?” you ask. Why right here of course:
When the interview had wrapped we joined Carnage backstage and were able to catch the end of 3lau’s set. At 1230am, 3lau left the stage asking the sold out crowd “Who’s ready for Carnage”? The answer: everyone. Speaking on the mic from backstage, Carnage hyped up the crowd before appearing in view to the rabid fans that were foaming at the mouth for his set.
Although he’s been playing more and more house music recently, the first third of his set was heavily trap influenced. 3lau joined him on stage repeatedly to further hype up the crowd and pass out water to many of the fans who were raging at the front.
In the middle of his set, Carnage transitioned to more house music. He opted to close out the night with more trap, and a crazy amount of kryo-blasts from the CO2 canons (including some of the longest blasts we’ve ever seen).
It was no surprise that fans chanted for “one more song” when he left the stage and he obliged, returning to play several more tunes. If he’d been given the chance, we think he would have kept playing for hours. He was clearly impressed with the size and energy of the Soundgarden Hall crowd.
[Photo credit: D. Jacob Miller Photography]
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You can view additional photos in the gallery below (click thumbnails to enlarge) and check back soon for additional photos from Steve Garfinkel Photography:
