Griz’s “Power in Numbers Spring Tour 2014” – REVIEW

We recently had the chance to check out the Milwaukee date of Griz’s “Power in Numbers Spring Tour 2014” with Michael Menert, Late Night Radio and Artifakts. You can check out our review of the tour, after the break.

Griz’s “Power in Numbers Spring Tour 2014” – REVIEW

We recently had the chance to check out the Milwaukee date of Griz’s “Power in Numbers Spring Tour 2014” with Michael Menert, Late Night Radio and Artifakts. You can check out our review of the tour, after the break.

The Power in Numbers tour rolled through Milwaukee’s The Rave / Eagle’s ballroom on Thursday April 10th, bringing with it a serious dose funk, electro swing, and old-school hip hop beats.

The Rave is a decent two-hour drive from the Chicago suburbs, but it was well worth it for this collection of funky beats, good vibes, and friendly people.  Security was as lax as could be, so there’s nothing to complain about there.  Besides the insane drinks prices, The Rave looked like it promised to be a good night.

Wisconsin native Artifakts first took the stage around 8pm, which unfortunately was a little too early for me, considering the long drive and the highway construction that kept me from being on time.  As far as I heard from people who were on time, Artifakts went hard on a pretty funky set, so I’m hoping to make it to the big WI someday to catch him again.  I’m going to group Late Night Radio’s set in with this paragraph because I honestly couldn’t enjoy it.  The Houston native’s style of funk just wasn’t making me want to get down.  This was ok with me though, I simply retired to the penthouse on the roof of The Rave where they have a bar and a large area for people to congregate and enjoy the weather.

Michael Menert, on the other hand, oh my god.  After first being signed to Pretty Lights Music and releasing his first album on the label in 2010, Menert blew up the electronic music scene and has been doing so ever since.  With a set that I describe as a fusion of funk and space music, Menert had the sold-out crowd grooving and smiling the entire time.

With the sun down and the music venue packed, saxaphone player/DJ/producer extraordinaire Griz took the stage to an applause that I can only describe as thunderous.  This 21 year old has made remarkable strides in the industry, starting small, then quickly shooting straight to the top, becoming a master of his craft.  With a macbook, a saxaphone, and an amazing lighting display, Griz brought the funk even harder than I had ever seen before.  I don’t know what was different about this Milwaukee show, but the energy, the sound, the crowd, and the overall intensity of the night was so much better than when I caught Griz for his halloween show in Chicago.  His set consisted of music, both old and new, but it flowed together like it was one big jam session.  I couldn’t distinguish one song from the next, so I have no setlist to post, but that fact right there should tell you how amazing each jam transitioned into the next.  I can only say that entire show was insane, but it got even crazier after Griz left the stage and prepared for an encore.  The last few songs of the night were some of the heaviest funk-filled beats I have ever had the pleasure of dancing to.  The music almost seemed like it had a fusion of dubstep in it, while still maintaining the integrity of the funk/soul/jazz genres.

Not only would I highly recommend The Rave for an electronic dance music act (just edm, anything with vocals sounds terrible here), but I seriously recommend catching a Griz show if you’ve got a pair of dusty dancing shoes that you’ve been itching to pull out and show off.

Information about this review:
Tour: Power in Numbers Spring Tour 2014
Artists: Griz, Michael Menert, Late Night Radio, Artifakts
Reviewer: Michael Nutting
Date: April 10, 2014
Venue: The Rave in Milwaukee, WI