Winter White Tour is a series of events in the Northeast organized by MASS EDMC and NV Concepts. Last year it showcased the talents of Dada Life, Hardwell, David Guetta and Steve Aoki to name a few. I was happy to see them resurrect this cool (no pun intended) concept this year, booking acts like Alesso, Zedd, Zeds Dead and a slew of unique openers. Guys like Kaeno, Seven Lions and Alex Metric were some of the few artists on the various undercards for each city. Bring some of the best DJs to universities and major markets, theme it as a white party, buy a shit ton of lasers, throw in a Yeti as your mascot and you have quite the concept. While it's no Sensation in terms of white out, the level of energy at Winter White last Friday was certainly on the same level. 

The chapter I attended was Alesso, Otto Knows and DSK CHK at Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel in Providence, RI. I've seen Alesso and Otto a combined 12 or 13 times and I'm sure that number will go up as the year goes on. While I could easily guess 75% or more of their sets before they even took the stage, it's hard to pass up a night of heavy progressive house and the ridiculous dancing and vibes that come with it. No matter what your opinion of these producers-made-DJs, it's hard to stand still through a whole set. I didn't really catch too much of DSK CHK, but what I heard was done well and lived in the realm of electro house more than anything else.

There's nothing to really say about this show set wise. Again, it was pretty predictable. You heard all of Alesso and Otto Knows' mega-hits but there was the occasional track, like "Wakanda" or "Rage" that varied it up ever so slightly. Alesso has a ton of mashups that he performs at every gig and I never quite know if I'm a fan. I don't think he does them on the fly and most are ripped from the sets of Swedish House Mafia, Seb Ingrosso or his other Swedish brethren. They kills clubs around the world but after you've heard them a few times, all the magic gets sucked out of the surprise. But I digress... If you'd like to see the full set, I've written it up here: http://tinyurl.com/ahfkuzt

The light production really stole the show for me. This year the traditional LED wall and DJ booth were accentuated by several lasers. I'm having a hard time trying to describe how the lasers were other than awesome. I don't know, they're lasers! How do you think they were? Laser-like and strobe-like and they changed colors and flew around above our heads, timed to each drop and surge of chords. CO2 cannons and confetti were also in abundance, a memorable moment coming as the confetti (or raver rain as I like to call it) fell around me during the great Matisse & Sadko & Steve Angello ID (that's literally been floating around for almost two years now). That song kills me every time. Tears were present. 

We had a really nice spot right on a step into the main floor so we could see over everyone and still had room to dance and be fools. The crowd was generally young, but the usual pains of an 18+ or all ages show were absent.

This show was the first one I went to after miraculously securing five Coachella tickets. Gregg, my now constant show companion, and I kept yelling "COACHELLAAAAAA!" during the encore, leaving everyone else around us completely confused. That was something DEFINITELY worth celebrating!