Thousands of ravers gathered in San Francisco to celebrate Ray Volpe’s debut album, FOREVER, VOLPETRON, at his biggest headlining performance ever.
Last summer, dubstep DJ and producer Ray Volpe announced that he was coming back to San Francisco for his biggest headline show ever at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium to kick off 2026. Shortly after, he announced a full tour in support of his debut album, FOREVER, VOLPETRON. Nearly six months later, the time had finally come for me to experience this brand-new live show.
In his initial announcement, Ray Volpe promised a stellar show complete with a custom stage, tons of lasers, and tunes from his latest album. The bar was set high, and my excitement upon arriving at the venue was at maximum levels. Admittedly, I’m not much of a bass head as I prefer the harder styles, but it’s no secret that I can get down with a great dubstep performance.
Going in, I wasn’t sure what to expect from the openers being so far removed from their respective scenes. Unfortunately, I missed the BTO Collective mega B2B (thanks, Bay Area traffic), but I caught the tail end of NURKO‘s set to start the night. The last I heard from him was “Cloud 9” in 2016, so I was pleasantly surprised to hear that his sets have remained melodic, with an evolved sound.
After NURKO, it was time for a legend in the scene with Virtual Riot. Although I’m no longer an avid listener, I knew what I was in for with him. He threw down all the nasty, heavy bass records and even started with a hilarious intro: a music production tutorial that transitioned into his set.
Anytime I go to a bass show, I’m always on the lookout for who plays harder music, and I had a feeling that Virtual Riot would eventually turn up the tempo, being the seasoned veteran who can read a crowd and knows what’s popular. I’m happy to report that he was the one DJ to crank it up with four-on-the-floor beats that treaded between psy trance and techno. These tunes absolutely ripped through the venue with the ecstatic screams of ravers as he ended his set.
It’s not often that anybody talks about a changeover, but Ray Volpe made this a highlight of the night!
He curated a short set filled with Bay Area hip-hop records that every native knows. Too $hort and E-40 blasted through the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium before throwing in some K-Pop for the younger crowd, making for the best changeover set I’ve ever witnessed. After this wild dance party of a changeover, it was finally time for the man of the hour, Ray Volpe!
I wish I could go into a detailed track-by-track breakdown, since every record was exceptional, but I’ll spare myself (and you reading this) an embarrassing attempt to ID everything, since I’m not well-versed in bass music. Still, this didn’t stop me from appreciating the masterclass Ray Volpe presented. So instead of a detailed play-by-play, here’s what I thought of the set as a whole from the perspective of an outsider.
Ray Volpe’s album show is one of the best live performances that you can catch this year. FOREVER, VOLPETRON is already a thrilling body of work that you can listen to on your headphones or your car speakers. However, fans will undoubtedly gain a new appreciation for it on a massive speaker system, which I think is the intended listening format. Ray Volpe’s artistic range is on full display, which is felt and heard through all of the genres like bass house, tearout, drum and bass, brostep, and more.
The musical side is exceptional in its own right, but the stunning production is top-tier as well.
Ray Volpe told fans since the beginning that he was bringing a wild show, and he didn’t lie. Tons of lasers, fireworks, and flames lit up the venue, adding to the immersive experience. My jaw was on the floor nearly half of the time from how often he surprised me with what came next.
I also need to talk about the crowd, because 8,700+ Bay Area ravers showed up and showed out. I’m a sucker for a good crowd pop, and there were so many times that they became louder than the music, making me grin from ear to ear. There were even a few times when I could feel the balcony area legitimately shaking from how hard people were headbanging in unison.
This show also served as a reminder that dance music is alive and thriving in the Bay Area, and that these are the times to truly appreciate it. There is so much good music out there today—even if it’s not your own preference, like in my case—and I hope that the scene maintains this momentum. Maybe someday I’ll even get to experience a sold-out Bill Graham for a hardstyle artist if things keep going this way.
Ray Volpe made me a believer after this event.
I’ve seen him a couple of times before, but this night was different. The whole performance takes advantage of his high-energy style to fully captivate the audience and place them directly in the album. After the show, I added the FOREVER, VOLPETRON album into my playlist, and I’m definitely keeping a close eye on Ray Volpe for the rest of this year.
San Francisco is FOREVER, VOLPETRON, and so am I. I’m even crowning this as an early pick for my top show of the year, and it’s only January. You can still catch this tour through March, so snag your tickets on Ray Volpe’s website.
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