Cover Photo Credit: @FINKSHOTIT
The Brooklyn Mirage 2.0 is here. When people first bought their tickets to Alesso and Acraze they assumed it was just the opening of the Spring/Summer season. To our surprise, a week before the Two-Night sold-out shows, The Brooklyn Mirage announced it had enhanced the grounds. Honestly, I didn’t think the place needed it. Already in my mind, it was the best venue in NY and one of the best in the world (many DJs have attested to this).
But, after seeing the renderings I knew we were in store for something special. It now features a one-of-a-kind 200-foot wide video wall topped by a 100-foot custom-built stage roof. Displayed over 1000 LED panels at 15K ultra-wide resolution, the roughly 30 million pixels will allow for film grade visual effects. There were semi-annoying pillars on the ground floor that shined lights everywhere. While the lights were cool they tended to obstruct one’s view. Those are now gone allowing for clear views for all. The balconies have been updated to allow for even more space and a great birds-eye view. The place is sparkling and I can’t wait to return.
Alesso and Acraze welcomed Brooklyn 2.0 in style. Let me tell you about the scene.
The Night and Acraze
For two-sold out nights, Alesso and Acraze rocked Brooklyn. I went the second night which downpoured the whole time. My friends and I were quite worried about how the night would go. Would it be canceled? Would it be nice to be in the rain for hours? I have never really been to a concert where it rained the whole time. It oddly works and works very well. The scene is really quite beautiful. Hard-hitting sounds are blasted at you but there is some peace while being in the rain. Especially when Alesso plays has mega-hits, the rain just fuels more emotion.
Mr. Do It To It got the night started. Acraze (real name Charlie Duncker) is actually a NY native so this was a coming home show of some sort. Fun fact: he actually debuted ‘Do It To It’ at the Brooklyn Mirage when DJ Snake performed there last summer. And the rest is history. Charlie set the tone for the night and got everyone moving. One of the fastest rising stars in our industry is a must-see.
Alesso
Alesso took the stage for an almost 4-hour performance. The first two hours as Alesso and the next two as his alias Eclipse. Eclipse brings out the darker side of Alesso. I have seen Alesso many many times and he simply does not disappoint. I like to say you experience almost every emotion during his sets. Alesso also does a great job of switching it up. You never hear the same set twice with him.
This one had particularly more variation than the ones I have heard prior. All of his classics were remixed with more house grooves rather than progressive anthems. It was nice to hear different sounds but part of me longed to hear the originals that I love so much. He still played his classics of course but some were just twisted to provide a more modern sound.
I particularly liked his mashup of Heroes and ‘Only you.’ He had a really sweet rendition of ‘City Of Dreams’ which featured slower tuned vocals.
Alesso closed the night like he always does, losing people into the night. Everyone lost themselves on a rainy Friday night in Brooklyn and it was one to remember forever.
