Rezz at Aragon Ballroom
This past weekend I saw Rezz perform at the Aragon Ballroom, one of my favorite venues in the city. One aspect of this venue that makes it unique is the beautifully painted ceiling featuring a mural of the night sky reminiscent of Van Gogh’s Starry Night. In the middle of shows I often find myself gazing up at it to see how the lights are reflecting and amplifying the painting, and it definitely adds to the overall experience.
The DJ who I saw, Rezz, is a female Canadian artist known for her gritty sound, spinning glasses, and trippy visuals. She quickly rose to the top of the EDM/bass scene, becoming one of the first female DJs to be headlining festivals and selling out tours. One of my favorite parts about her is she does not compromise her sound by producing pop hits or trying to adapt herself to fit a mold of what is expected of a female DJ. Her music is entirely her own and has been extremely successful in attracting a huge following of passionate fans. Her show at Aragon sold out very quickly, and this was evident in the fact that we were waiting in line for about 40 minutes just to get into the venue and see her. Luckily I had planned for this, and we were able to catch the last half of one of her openers, Peekaboo, whose music I also enjoy.
The visuals Rezz presented were unlike those of any other artist. I was fortunate enough to catch her set a few months ago at Spring Awakening, Chicago’s EDM summer festival. Although I thought this meant I would know what to expect, Rezz has grown so much in a matter of months that her show was levels above anything of hers I had seen before. I’ll be reliving this show all winter long, and I cannot wait to see what she does next.
One of the best parts about Chicago is the sheer amount of shows available to you. Before I came to college, I would be planning months in advance to see artists I liked at venues that were still nearly an hour away from me. Living in the city has connected me with types of music and artists I would not have listened to or been able to experience if I had gone to a state school. I’m incredibly grateful to be living in Chicago for this reason among many others, and I encourage you to take advantage of this aspect of the city and all it has to offer.