Rusko and Smash Gordon
Saturday, October 23 at The Canal Club
When it was first announced that dubstep artist Rusko was playing a show at Richmond's Canal Club, many people didn't take a second look. However, seemingly between the time of the announcement and the day of the show, Rusko blew up in both the Richmond and national music scenes. More and more people were grabbing ahold of the dubstep coat-tails and riding them wherever they went. This past Saturday, they brought them to the corner of 17th and Cary Street.
The first thing I noticed upon arrival was the line, which seemed to be 3 blocks long and 20 people thick. Talking amongst others around me revealed that Rusko had drew people to Richmond from all parts of Virginia. After some careful line maneuvering, I entered the club about 45 minutes later. At first I was puzzled, as I saw no DJ's and only heard very faint music. Walking through the doorway upstairs, though, helped reassure me that tonight was going to be a memorable one.
Smash Gordon was on deck when I walked in and the crowd was already going nuts. The low ceilings and large open space led me to envision a time when parties like this had to be held in secret. A small but effective security staff combined with a large bar helped bring the intensity inside to a new high. People were running around, jumping on each other and everything. Funnily enough, Rusko was not even anywhere in sight yet.
After a beautifully crafted set by Smash Gordon, people were ready to see the man they came for. As Rusko walked onstage with a bottle of Grey Goose that had clearly been worked on a bit, you could feel the anticipation levels in the room rise. And then it happened. The first track started and the bass hit. When it combined with the awesome club lighting, senses were sent into overdrive. This was unlike any Rusko performance I had seen before.
This was the longest set I had ever seen Rusko play, and he played every song a fan could ask for. Somehow, he kept going strong until approximately 3:30 AM, when it became evident that playing any longer would leave some people with a stack of fines--or maybe that the crowd just couldn't take it anymore.
The evening was one of the craziest electronic concert experiences I have had. I was not the only one with this opinion, as Twitter revealed that afterwards, Rusko posted a comment that described the evening perfectly. He said, "Ay ay ay been a min since we had a ruckus in the rave!!! Pure squashup sweat and ringing ears. Richmond got DOWN." Who knew that an artist who has performed in NYC, Miami, and Los Angeles could then find out that the craziest crowds of them all are right here in Richmond.