Excision returned to San Francisco for two nights of electrifying bass music at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium.
San Francisco is no stranger to the biggest dance music acts in the world. The Bay Area’s dance music history runs deep, and headliners are fairly common with something happening every week. Just last weekend, for example, Excision finally returned to the iconic Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco after nearly a year away from the city.
I saw Excision last year in March at the same venue on the Nexus Tour, which completely exceeded all my expectations. After that event, I made it my mission to see him anytime he came to town, so I knew I had to come out for his epic return. Like last year’s show, I almost had no clue who any of the supporting acts were, given that bass music is not my strong suit. Nonetheless, I was excited to discover new artists and open my mind to more filthy bass music.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t arrive at the venue on time as parking was a nightmare. San Francisco already has limited parking, but I arrived at the venue 20 minutes after the doors opened, and the venue parking was already full and closed. This left me driving around San Francisco for an extra hour and a half looking for parking. If anything, it made it clear that Excision is a draw. He sold out a 10,000+ capacity venue on a Friday night, which filled all parking garages in the area to the brim.
I lost all hope until a green sign glimmered in the corner of my eye, shining with the word “open” across the entrance! We quickly parked and ran inside the venue. I checked out the merch, and while there’s constantly a polarizing conversation surrounding EDM merch, Excision had a really nice shirt that my girlfriend picked up.
Because of the limited parking, the only artist we fully caught before Excision was Barely Alive.
In the past, I saw Barely Alive in a B2B performance at another event in San Francisco, and admittedly, I did not enjoy it at all. Instead of feeling like a back-to-back, it felt like five-minute mini-sets flipping back and forth between artists. This time around, Barely Alive redeemed himself in my eyes with this insane performance opening for Excision.
Barely Alive played many tunes I had never heard before, from disgusting bass to technically precise productions. I couldn’t help but have a bass face anytime he dropped something. To top it all off, he even threw in some hardstyle at the end of his set. I always love how big crowds get down with hardstyle even without knowing it, so seeing this in person filled me with joy.
After Barely Alive, it was finally time for the main event in Excision!
Since I saw Excision a little under a year ago, I almost expected him to play the same set, given his immaculate production, which I’m sure takes ages to curate perfectly. To my surprise, I was completely wrong in the best way. For an hour and a half, fans were treated to the filthiest beats and the heaviest bass known to man—and maybe the universe.
Every record that blasted through the speakers pierced my chest with bass while tasting the spectrum of bass music. Wonky riddim, heavy tearout, and classic dubstep tunes kept the party going, and I never got bored once. I heard a lot of tracks that weren’t included in last year’s set, along with a ton of fresh visuals.
Of course, Excision had to give fans a little callback to the Nexus Tour when he displayed the now-legendary vomiting Shrek visuals. (I’d like to think that our viral TikTok video from last year’s event may have played a role in providing that fan service.) This year, the Shrek visual was paired with a brand-new track. I’m not well-versed in bass music and wish I knew the ID, but fans have speculated that this could be a collaboration with Liquid Stranger.
Even with such a banger set, Excision still surprised me when I heard the catchy vocals from “Return of the Return” by Coone and Rooler come out of the speakers. I was initially skeptical as the vocals are a popular sample, but as soon as I heard Levenkhan‘s vocals, I knew we were in for a treat in the form of a hardstyle banger.
The distorted kickdrums and drifting screeches filled the venue, along with the screams of fans who ate it all up. The sold-out crowd losing their minds to hardstyle in Bill Graham was quite the visual, and I really can’t wait until we can get a true hardstyle headliner in there.
Excision delivered another epic experience in San Francisco, and I can’t wait to catch him the next time he’s in town.
Every fan seemingly left the venue happy. Excision had updated his set with new tunes, visuals, and genres, displaying his musical evolution while continuing to reign at the top of the scene. Even with the hiccups along the way, this night was a great reminder that everything can turn out perfect despite obstacles. And with the recent announcement of his Wynn Nightlife residency, I may even pay him a trip to Vegas as EDC is looming on the horizon.
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