ARMNHMR brought Infinite Skies and the Together As One Tour to San Francisco for their biggest headline show to date.
Hot on the heels of their debut album, Together As One, ARMNHMR finally returned home for their biggest headline show ever. As a part of their Together As One Tour and a special Infinite Skies show, the Bay Area duo delivered an epic performance that checked all the boxes: great music, memorable times, and good company.
When this show was announced as part of their album tour, I was a bit skeptical. I was unfamiliar with most of their recent work and had only been exposed to the SoundCloud mashups of their early beginnings. But one artist on the lineup, NOAHJ, drew me to the event, and I’m ecstatic that I attended. From top to bottom, this show was stacked with support from Nostalgix, Luci, and Dion Timmer.
Bass music is completely out of my wheelhouse, and I had little idea what to expect.
I nonetheless packed up my car and made the trek up to the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco to experience something new. As a first-time attendee of this iconic venue, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy and organized everything was, from security and merch to the sound and production.
Upon entry, I stumbled upon an artist I’ve been wanting to see for nearly a decade. YouTube streamer-turned-DJ NOAHJ kicked the night off with a versatile set covering the entire dance music spectrum. Although this was the opening set, one could argue that it was the most electrifying performance of the night outside of the headliners. NOAHJ’s famously bubbly personality shined brightly throughout his set, and his love for this newfound passion was on full display.
It was hard to follow up, but Nostalgix kept the energy high with a set full of groovy bass house bangers. Despite playing a genre that doesn’t necessarily focus on heavy elements, she opened my mind up to the fact that bass house can absolutely go hard. Following Nostalgix was another first-time set for me: Luci. Every track she played felt different from the last, a departure from what turns me off from bass sets. Luci made a new fan out of me.
Before ARMNHMR took the stage, Dion Timmer came through with earth-shattering tunes that got the crowd prepped and ready for the headliners.
As opposed to the B2B sets I’ve seen him play in, this performance allowed me to explore his DJ style without others interrupting or trying to live up to expectations of going hard. All of these opening performances made the bass music genre grow on me once again, reminding me of the sounds that got me into dance music in the first place.
Once all of the talented openers got through their unique performances, it was finally time for ARMHMR. This set was a special one for me as it was my official reintroduction to the duo after losing touch so many years ago.
Aside from the music, which was great in its own right, I loved that their set told a story.
As a casual fan, I had no idea what to expect. Luckily, ARMNHMR had me covered as they played a video montage telling the story of how they evolved from fans to industry leaders. I immediately got to know the duo and understand the important of this performance to their career, helping me connect to their story of triumph. One of my favorite aspects of dance music is when the act on stage feels like a larger-than-life character. ARMHMR executed this perfectly.
ARMNHMR also played tons of music, from techno to bass and everything in between, catering to everyone in the building. Out of everything they played, however, there was a clear bias for the faster music, and it wasn’t only from me. While fans went wild for every record, the indescribable energy when harder music blasted through the speakers could be felt to the rafters.
By the end of the night, it was clear in my mind that ARMNHMR has one of the most dedicated fan bases in the world, and that harder music continues its rise in the States thanks to big artists exposing casual crowds to these forbidden sounds. At the same time, I enjoyed that I was able to discover more artists and reconnect with the love of bass music that originally opened the doors of dance music to me.
The Together As One Tour is almost over. Make sure to snag your tickets to the remaining shows via the ARMNHMR website and stream their latest album, Together As One, on your preferred platform.
