An image popped up on my phone to announce that this show would be taking place. To say that I was excited would be an understatement. Jack Ü, the super-duo comprised of producers Skrillex and Diplo, had been one of my most anticipated acts of 2016. Their album and track "Where Are Ü Now" was dominating the charts in all respective fields. Shit, they even won a Grammy. A tour stop of some kind in the Bay Area was inevitable; they had to come through here at some point.
Lo and behold, the duo was slated to perform at Coachella, and as the tour routing always has it, a number of acts performing at the festival in Indio will generally make their way up here for a performance of some kind so they're not just sitting around waiting to play the festival for a week (I distinctly remember The Killers announcing an incredibly intimate show at SF's Independent the week they were slated to play the festival. We're very lucky to get some of the shows that we do.)
Tickets for night one sold out and (not surprisingly) a second night was added. My photo pass and review ticket was approved for both nights, and I can honestly say that this was one of the biggest shows of the entire year. The energy was not quite at the level of, say, the five-night stand Swedish House Mafia did on their farewell tour here a few years ago, but it was pretty damn high.
With their DJ set-up perched atop a massive, old-school Macintosh-style desktop computer (a fitting tribute, as Apple was conceived in the Bay Area in a city only about a half-hour away), Jack Ü took the stage around 9:35 PM and didn't slow down for even a second. The duo spun tracks that ranged from their debut collaboration album, to their individual discographies. Tracks from artists like Halsey and Justin Bieber (whose track "Sorry" was produced by Skrillex last year) made their way into the mix. A gigantic LED backdrop loomed over the stage, while two projector screens near the balconies and the Macintosh computer screen lit up with stunning (sometimes humorous) visuals to accompany each track.
The closing moment came when thousands and thousands of strands of confetti and streamers poured down over the audience as they spun their Grammy-winning collaboration with Justin Bieber, entitled "Where Are Ü Now". Each of the two nights were glorious, chaotic, and full of both great music and immaculate showmanship.
www.facebook.com/jackuofficial
www.facebook.com/skrillex
www.facebook.com/diplo
This has been another Shameless Promotion.