After two seasons of performances, GRiZ’s Ride Waves tour has finally come to a close. Grant Kwiecinski, better known by his stage name GRiZ, has been deep in the music scene since 2011. Talented not only on the decks, but also with the saxophone, the Michigan-born artist has rooted a unique sound. Over the years, the DJ has expanded his musical horizon and has been producing a wide array of music, including hip-hop, electronica, funk, and dubstep. His most recent project, Ride Waves, was yet another successful attempt to blur genre lines in the music scene.
The month of May welcomed Season 1 of his tour to cities along the East Coast and Midwest. Fan feedback was extremely positive, and GRiZ announced Season 2 to showcase his performance even further across the nation, including the West Coast. We had the honor of seeing his tour at none other than the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles. The performance was everything we expected and more. Here’s our review.
The Venue
Los Angeles is the place to be when it comes to making it in music. There are countless venues where one could perform, but it’s places like the Hollywood Palladium where an artist can know that they’ve made it.
The venue offers a lot of room, making it easy to maneuver around the dancefloor. There’s a second story, but each side has a different use. As you enter, the right side is reserved for VIP viewing, whereas the left side leads to the outside balcony area. The outside lighting creates such a nice ambiance, and you can still hear the music from inside. Smoking is allowed out here, and there’s another bar so you can buy drinks.
The circular arena made for the perfect venue for GRiZ’s performance. The venue’s shape really enhanced the experience because the lasers were bouncing off the walls. You could tell the amount of effort that went into the visual production because the technicolor performance lit up the whole crowd.
Support
The Funk Hunters have opened every single show for Season 2 of GRiZ’s Ride Waves tour. Based in Vancouver, Canada, the DJ duo plays a wide variety of music, but are known predominately for their glitch-hop beats. They play a similar style to GRiZ, making them the perfect opener to his show. In Los Angeles, they got the crowd going with their signature feel-good funk. However, they weren’t afraid to throw in some harder beats either. Their performance set the stage for a great night and was also a good reminder that the future of funk is bright.
Griz
A little backstory: I had a friend tell me she drove five hours to Eugene, Oregon, after seeing his performance in Seattle, Washington. Being a fan, I was already excited for GRiZ’s performance; however, after hearing that, I think anyone would have high expectations. And let me tell ya, he definitely did not disappoint.
GRiZ and his team created a show with top-notch musical and visual production, to the point where it actually felt like a cinematic experience. He brought out singers, trumpet players, and, of course, his saxophone. (Because, let’s be real: would it really be a GRiZ performance if he didn’t bring out his trusted sax?) In addition, the technicolor lasers were beyond incredible, making it one of my favorite visual shows ever. Watching from any part of the room made for a visually stimulating experience, and you couldn’t help but smile when looking at all the various colors.
GRiZ opened up the night with his saxophone and his trumpet players aiding him with the music. Throughout the show, GRiZ performed songs on his Ride Waves album as well as his three-part Bangers EP, which released just before the start of his tour. He played his popular collaboration with Subtronics, ‘Griztronics’, hyping the crowd up with some dubstep. Later, he performed his collaboration with DRAM, ‘It Gets Better’, which radiated good energy into the audience. Probably my favorite moment was his performance of ‘Caught Up’, with all the colorful lasers shining across the crowd. All in all, the veteran DJ gave us the perfect mixture of electro and funk. You could see the heart and soul that he gave us throughout his performance, and the crowd was right there with him.
So, if I could describe GRiZ’s performance in one word, I would have to say magical. He not only gave us a good show, but he also created a magical and positive vibe. In today’s world, that’s all we can ask for nowadays.
Thanks for the good vibes, GRiZ! Until next time.
