Seven Lions’ Beyond The Veil Journey III Tour stop in San Diego was a dream with sets from Gem & Tauri, Andrew Bayer, and Jason Ross.
Last year, Seven Lions added even more depth to his decade-long legacy in the scene with the release of his album, Beyond The Veil. Featuring a plethora of gorgeous tunes that saw him collaborate with everyone from GG Magree and LIGHTS to Mija and JT Roach, it captivated his faithful followers and left them enamored. But that wasn’t all that Seven Lions had in store as he paired the release with news of a full-length run of shows, Beyond The Veil – The Journey III Tour, which would kick off in 2023.
In April, it was time for Seven Lions to hit the road after releasing the deluxe version of Beyond The Veil and its conjoined remix package in the months prior. The massive run of shows kicked off in Tacoma before heading to Los Angeles, Houston, Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Las Vegas, and more, but one stop that was announced after the initial dates were revealed was San Diego. The Ophelia Records label boss would be heading to America’s Finest City on June 17 for its new final stop, and there was no doubt we needed to be there.
The venue playing host to the last show on the tour, The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park, is one of the newest in San Diego, having opened in August of 2021. While mostly centered on performances from the San Diego Symphony, electronic artists like Flume have since graced the venue, while LED Presents’ Anniversary event brought REZZ and deadmau5. This made Seven Lions one of the first in the melodic dubstep realm to take over the picturesque venue for a curated experience.
I was excited as ever to catch Seven Lions in San Diego, especially having never attended a show at The Rady Shell before. After figuring out where to park and traversing the hustle and bustle of the Gaslamp District, we made our way to the venue and experienced one of the most seamless entry processes I’ve had in years. Within seconds we were in the venue, hearing the sounds from Gem & Tauri booming from the speakers just a few yards away.
Loads of food vendors and bars were found in the entry area, along with the bathrooms, but the music drew us in, so we raced up the stairs to catch all the action. The crowd was a bit sparse early on, which was a shame because Gem & Tauri threw down a pretty incredible set to kick off the festivities for the night. We quickly realized that there wasn’t a bad spot to stand or sit for this show due to the nature of the sloped venue, so we settled on one closer to the back to ensure we had a full view of downtown San Diego as the backdrop.
Anjunabeats legend Andrew Bayer was on next and played a delightful set that kept the vibes rolling strong. He wooed the crowd with tracks like “Do Androids Dream, Pt. 1,” “Midnight” with Alison May, and “Equal” with Asbjørn, adding more emotional power with each passing second of his set. Then, it was time for Jason Ross to take control of the crowd. He turned the dial up another notch by running through tunes like “One Time” while injecting some dubstep and even some hard dance into the mix to bring plenty of rave energy to The Rady Shell.
Finally, it was time for the man of the hour to grace the decks, and there was no doubt that Seven Lions wouldn’t hold back during his set. He threw down everything from his signature melodic dubstep tracks to more aggressive tunes like Ray Volpe’s “Laserbeam” and Dion Timmer’s “Protocol” while also dropping some psytrance heat and stirring emotions by playing his classic track, “Strangers.” And we can’t help but mention one of the standout moments – when he played an ID remix of Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy The Silence” that we only hope will get an official release someday.
Ending at 10pm was the only bittersweet aspect of this show, as we would’ve loved to be dancing deeper into the night. But there was a sense of fulfillment once the night came to a close. While this might’ve been the final stop on the Beyond The Veil – The Journey III Tour, it made it clear more than ever that Seven Lions has carved out such a unique niche for himself in the scene and that he’s an artist not to be missed. Don’t sleep on your chance to catch him play when he heads to a city near you.
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