We know that the fans who listen to EDM have a vast taste and have their own preferences when it comes to genres. There are chill and melodic genres like future bass, and melodic dubstep, and there is super uplifting adrenaline filled genres like house, trap, dubstep, and trance. Doing a live show that pleases fans across all these genres is a great challenge for many, but not for the Chainsmokers. They can not only do a performance that encompasses a multitude of genres but can also surprise us by doing new things in their live performances every time.
The Chainsmokers are mostly known as producers who make chill and melodic pop songs. Under this impression, we might think that their live shows will not be able to please a bass hungry rave audience, but they proved us all wrong at the 2018 Creamfields Music Festival in UK. In their Festival set, they not only played their pop hits like ‘Closer’ and ‘Don’t let me down’, but they also played adrenaline filled bass heavy songs from dubstep and trap producers like SayMyName, Boombox Cartel, and Skrillex. On top of that, they also played hardstyle and trance tracks like the ‘Zombie Nation’ remix which absolutely blew the roof off that night. This night they proved to us that even though they are primarily known for their own style of music centered around pop, they can put together a performance with tracks from other genres and give us an all rounded set with high adrenaline, as well as mellow emotions.
The Chainsmokers are full of surprises that keep on coming. After showing us that they can put on a massive show that covers a multitude of genres in Creamfields 2018, they showed us in Lollapalooza Chicago 2019 that they have something different to offer every time. While they did a DJ set in Creamfields 2018, they did more of a physical performance in Lollapalooza 2019. In Lollapalooza they played the sounds in the songs by themselves with the help of sampler keyboards and drums pads instead of playing it back from the DJ controller. Unlike DJ controllers, sample keyboards and drum pads can make their own sound by pressing the keys or pads, while DJ controllers are machines that let us mix multiple songs at the same time by using the knobs and faders. However, DJ controllers are limiting to the artists when it comes to live improvisation of the song as all you can really do on it is press play and mix.
Using Sampler keyboards and drum machines in Lollapalooza allowed the Chainsmokers to create new improvised edits of their songs on the spot. Their live improvisation of their song ‘Rozes’ was beautiful and was one of the standout moments of the night. Everybody was absolutely stunned when the Chainsmokers improvised the song live as no one had heard that version before and it was sounding amazing. Playing in Creamfields is not any less of a deal than playing in Lollapalooza, and they could have done more of a physical performance in Creamfields too, but in order to make their performances different, they try to do different things in different occasions.
It is safe to say that The Chainsmokers are one of the greatest artists and showmen of all time because the versatility and the uniqueness that they show in their performances can’t be matched by anyone else. Their live shows are full of surprises, and we must be grateful of this duo for sharing their talents with us. Their live shows not only consist of amazing musical presentation, but also the beautiful lights, visuals, confetti, fire and pyrotechnics which add additional flare to their already bright performance. Sometimes, they might even bring out their own professional Drummer Matt McGuire to add more spice to their performances. Anybody who is a fan of music, partying, and having a lifetime experience must go to a Chainsmokers concert. They always vary things up so it can never get boring.
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