As the temperature dropped elsewhere in Syracuse last night, The Westcott Theater became a sauna. Dubstep producer and rapper Troy Beetles, known by his stage name Datsik, brought his rescheduled Firepower Tour to the cold of Syracuse.

In recent years, Datsik surged to popularity from the underground to mainstream electronic dance music scene. Since high school, Datsik has been blowing away and rising above his competition in the genre. Receiving accolades from electric dance music heavyweight Infected Mushroom and opening for rock group Korn on their 2011 tour, Datsik has cemented himself in dubstep culture.

Before the concert, the crowd outside the Westcott rumbled as security tried to contain the mob in front of the door. Robin Trumble, a freshman international business major who had previously bought a ticket, was particularly enthused.

“I’ve seen him once before at Camp Bisco,” Trumble said. “He’s pretty sick.”

Greeted by a pair of men in banana suits and hordes of local high school students, despite the 16-plus age limit, concert-goers spilled onto the dance floor, glow sticks in hand, ready to party.

A healthy mix of locals and Syracuse University students filled the Westcott as glow sticks, water bottles and various electronics flew through the air. A fair share of light-up gloves, guys in trucker hats and girls wearing neon filled the theater. The lights were dimmed and soon, the floor was covered in beer.

Although the concert was set to begin at 9 p.m., opener Rekoil was already hard at work on stage at 8:15 p.m. The crowd didn’t seem to mind.

Syracuse native Direktor was nowhere to be seen. According to Direktor’s Twitter account, he was unable to open due to unforeseen scheduling conflicts.

Rekoil began with his set, played from a side stage to about 200 people. But after about 45 minutes of straight playing time, he snapped into the role of  “hype-man” and, boosting the volume, jumped around in an attempt to liven up the crowd.

As the crowd grew in number and volume, those faint of eardrums sank back toward the bar. By this time, SU and State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry students began to pile in, creating a livelier atmosphere.

After an extremely long set, a man was rushed through the audience, saxophone in hand and security in tow. Up-and-coming electronic jazz dance artist GRiZ rushed onto the stage and began blasting energetic genre-spanning dance music.

The 700-person capacity of the Westcott was nearing full when GRiZ busted out a saxophone solo during his remix of Jay-Z’s “99 Problems” and Royce Da 5’9’s “Something 2 Ride 2,” adding a little class to the diverse crowd. Lit up by a Rockstar Energy Drink emblem, GRiZ cut the sound on his PA system.

“We’re gonna take it way back now” he yelled into the microphone to a series of “Woooo’s” and “Hell yeahs.” Then, slowly but surely, Pee Wee Herman’s “Tequila” rose from the speakers, subsequently causing an older crowd of concert-goers to crash onto the dance floor. But the bass dropped and all hopes of a full throwback went out the window.

GRiZ went on to play well into the night, remixing everyone from Snoop Dogg to viral YouTube videos like “Yes Oh My Gosh.” After a slew of pop songs strung together, GRiZ ended his set with a massive saxophone solo. The crowd roared as he stepped down to make way for the headliner.

Datsik took the stage at about 11:45 — unusually late for a headlining act — but nonetheless wowed the crowd with a spectacularly loud entrance. Sitting inside of his “vortex,” Datsik delivered a blistering show of lights and sound.

His set began with a bang, using all of the 50,000-watt PA system that enveloped the stage. The music was ear-shattering, almost painful in the pit. Many concert-goers slunk into the corners as the ceiling shook and rained dust into the crowd.

While some described the Datsik concert as grimy, dirty and intense, sophomore psychology major Katrina Aberizk, who said she goes to all the shows at the Westcott, had this to say about the show: “Datsik is awesome live.”

Published on January 16, 2013 at 2:23 am

Contact Robert: ragaudio@syr.edu