home > eat&drink By Abernathy Miller Columbus Alive

On March 29 at The Bluestone, roeVy delivered the gospel of EDM from a double-laptop pulpit and baptized their flock of loyal party-goers in a tidal wave of heavy bass. Somewhere between the flashing pentagram projections and the neon angel wings, I remembered I was in a defunct house of the Lord.

I participated in a beat-drop Black Mass with a pair of Jawas, and Im not even sorry.

I started the night right with some cheap drinks and killer tunes at Little Rock Bars White Trash a Go-Go. The free-flowing Jameson accented by The Jim Carroll Band blasting through the speakers harkened back to my dirty dive-bar days.

We arrived at The Bluestone a quarter till midnight. A sea of neon leg-warmers and painted-up pixies greeted us. Women were hula-hooping and playing with glow sticks in one corner, while the less-dedicated onlookers leaned against the bar.

More than 17 DJs were billed to play on one of the three stages. Since it was impossible to see every act, we posted up outside by the densely populated outdoor stage to watch dancing co-eds and bass junkies press up against the folding table with the DJs rig.

When roeVy went on at 1 a.m., I was backstage. The duo pulled on their masks and entered the stage to a cheering crowd. Once the first note hit the speakers, the whole venue started pulsating. The look of total awe mixed with terrifying excitement came across the faces of everyone in the crowd simultaneously. Obviously the real party was on the dance floor, not in the catacombs behind the stage.

I rejoined the rest of the congregation on the main dance floor. The words Die and Death is only the beginning flashed between the pentagram imagery. I was at a rave, a metal concert and a tent revival all at once. It seemed like everybody around me was having a transcendent experience by allowing roeVys audio/visual assault to purge their stress or anger. For a brief moment, this was the only reality that mattered.

By the end of the set, I was completely exhausted. I felt completely drained, but content. Though I didnt make it to bed until dawn, I dont remember ever sleeping so well.

I guess if youre scared, go to church; if you rage, go to roeVy.

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Downtown Abbey: On a Saturday; topics discussed: Jawas, roeVy, spiritual enlightenment