By Monica Feltz with Alex Pacheco
Pop Correspondents
BOSTON — The tent lights faded as throngs of decked-out Pretty Lights fans flocked to their seats at the Bank of America Pavilion, glow sticks in one hand, beer in the other.
“This reminds me of when he came out at Bonnaroo playing ‘I Know The Truth,’” Alex yelled over the anxious buzz.
Ten seconds later the stage dimmed and people rose to their feet. When the beat dropped, I realized Alex had been spot-on in predicting the opening track for an evening full of surprises and, of course, heavy bass tones.
Pretty Lights is the brainchild of Colorado-based Derek Vincent Smith, the producer of an electronic light and music show that crosses genres and relies heavily on digital sampling in delivering synthesized sounds and organic beats from genres ranging from hip-hop, to vintage funk, rock, soul and beyond.
Smith dropped out of the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2006 to play and record music. With Pretty Lights, named for the Pink Floyd poster slogan “Come and watch the pretty lights,” he was propelled to international success on the heels of a 2009 sold-out North American tour.
It was a rainy night in Boston on Sept. 23, but that didn’t dampen the spirits of the sold-out crowd gathered to take in what Smith dubbed the “2011 Summer Banger.” From the first note of “I Know The Truth,” a fusion of dark ‘60s soul music and raw bass, people were screaming and clearly anxious to see what Pretty Lights had in store. Smith delivered with a cascade of light, sound, and fury.
Last year, Alex and I saw Pretty Lights in the Red Rocks Amphitheater in the Rocky Mountains surrounding Denver, Colo. Although the idyllic surroundings of that night were not to be matched in Boston, Smith brought the same immense level of energy that has made him a hit among college crowds across the nation.
As the night raged on and the sea breeze drifted through the tent, Alex and I found ourselves repeating the question, “Wait, is he really playing this?”
Smith seemed to enjoy falling back on many of his older classics and staples, playing songs like “Aimin At Your Head,” “Still Night,” “Keep Em Bouncin,” and “High School Art Class” – Alex’s personal favorite. With each number the energy grew, the colors intensified and the beats ranged from playful syncopation to heavy, deep chest-bumpers.
During the final song before the encore, the stage lit up with Pretty Light’s famous (and somewhat awe-inspiring) LED-lit cityscape while Kanye West’s “All of the Lights” remix pumped through the audience. Smith finished the show with his biggest single, “Hot Like Sauce.”
Then it went dark, but certainly not quiet. In fact, the venue grew louder, a signal that the audience wasn’t ready to quit. Taking his cue, Smith ran back on stage and thanked Boston for being such great fans. With performances like these, though, it’s no wonder we’re all so dedicated.
