A tale of two DJ-driven pre-Halloween dance spectaculars with thousands of dollars in cash prizes to boot. A howlin’ good time awaits on Saturday.
EDM Mania: Bassnectar recently energized a DeltaPlex arena crowd. On Saturday, DJs Anthony Attalla, Jason Veeder and others will try to do the same at Halloween on Ionia and The B.O.B. (Photo/Anthony Norkus Photography)
More and more people are becoming open to (EDM) music. – DJ Slim Tim
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Two early mammoth celebrations of Halloween, more than $13,000 in prizes for the best and most beastly costumes, and a host of top-notch DJs driving beats and dance-floor mayhem.
That’s what taking place within a three-block radius on Saturday night, when The B.O.B. fires up its annual Halloween bash covering all floors and its parking lot, while Halloween On Ionia makes its much-ballyhooed debut by raging on for 10 hours, driven by big names in the electronic dance music scene.
DJ Anthony Attalla
And if any’s the year for West Michigan folks to get creative with their ghastly and ghoulish Halloween get-ups, this is it: Both events boast about offering, essentially, the biggest cash prizes in the state for costumes judged to be the best.
Either way, it’s a lot of moolah for maniacal duds and frightening frocks: The B.O.B. plans to dole out more than $7,000 in prizes to the Top 10 costume flaunters, while McFadden’s Irish Saloon, which is hosting the outdoor Halloween On Ionia, offers a $6,000 purse split between five top winners. (Details below.)
Musically, though, it’s an EDM (electronic dance music) lover’s dream night.
Replacing last year’s Hoptoberfest with Halloween On Ionia, Mark Sellers’ Barfly Ventures has gone all-out to turn Halloween into a DJ-driven spectacle on Ionia Avenue south of Fulton Street with a host of DJs – led by headliner Anthony Attalla – cranking out everything from dubstep to house to trance starting at 2 p.m. and running until midnight.
CAPITALIZING ON THE EDM CRAZE THAT’S ‘GETTING BIGGER AND BIGGER’
This first-time event aims to capitalize on the fast-growing EDM craze that’s sweeping the nation, appealing particularly to younger, 20-something audiences which sell out venues featuring touring EDM artists coast to coast.
“It’s a great lineup with world-renowned DJs in some cases,” says DJ Slim Tim, of Grand Rapids, who’ll be in command on the stage from 8 to 9 p.m. Saturday at Halloween On Ionia. “It’s good for the (EDM) scene in Grand Rapids. It’s building up and getting bigger and bigger.”
Also on the bill: Kalendr, The Drill Team, Biff Tannen, Uncle Jesse, Alexander B2B Subtractive, OBJ and Jump Smoker DJ Marquee, with Chicago house music producer and DJ Anthony Attalla serving as the headliner, starting his set around 10:30 p.m.
Shane Philipsen of Barfly Events calls it the “perfect time” for an EDM street party, which aims to be every bit as huge as the successful Irish on Ionia bash in March (though the outdoor stage will be in a different location). “We are really excited for this event and want to grow this party exponentially in the years to come,” he says.
DJ Slim Tim
That might not be difficult, according to DJ Tim Slim, aka Tim Boelman, who grew up outside of London, England, and moved to the United States about 13 years ago to play soccer for Cornerstone University. He says the fan base for EDM music is expanding rapidly, noting his own DJ work in the scene “just took off” with jam-packed crowds for his weekend sets at places like Tavern on the Square and Monte’s Lounge in Grand Rapids.
“There are some really big things changing around the city and around the state. More and more people are becoming open to the music,” says Boelman, who describes his musical approach as appealing to “different markets,” from dubstep to house to trance.
“All these kids in high school and in college and in their mid-20s, they’re more into EDM because a lot of artists are making faster-paced music, faster-paced, dance-style stuff. There are so many subgenres now (of EDM, including dubstep, trap, trance, house, tech-house and more). More and more kids are getting into it. The fashion side of it is driving some of it. They’re wearing neon outfits and furry boots. It’s a whole different cultural thing.”
COSTUME CONTESTS WITH GIANT JACKPOTS
On Saturday, they may be wearing far wilder attire than furry boots and neon thanks to the $6,000 in prizes being offered in the Halloween on Ionia costume contest. Entrants must sign up inside the gates between 2 and 6 p.m. The contest will have five heats from 7 to 11 p.m. with attendees and the public voting for their favorite costume through the Halloween On Ionia app (which you can download on your smart phone). The winner of each heat wins $1,000; all five winners return to the stage at 11:30 p.m. and the overall top winner get another $1,000.
Tickets for the 21-and-older Halloween On Ionia are $10 in advance, $15 day of show. Get details online at halloweenonionia.com.
While Halloween On Ionia is new to Grand Rapids, The B.O.B.’s long-running Halloween bash has attracted elbow-to-elbow throngs for its costumed revelry for many years and the 2013 edition just happens to have plenty of DJ-inspired dance mania of its own.
DJ Jason Veeder
DJ MattB and DJ Stoz will keep things spinning at Crush, DJ Riky Mark Witz will rev up Eve and DJ Jason Veeder (who also sets up shop regularly at Monte’s and Tavern on the Square) and Todd Ohme will heat things up outdoors all evening long. In addition, cover band Montage will hit the indoor stage at Bobarino’s at 9 p.m. to further fire up freakily garbed dancers.
As for The B.O.B.’s much-buzzed-about costume contest, Laura Scholten, The Gilmore Collection’s social media and event coordinator says the theme for 2013 is “Anything Goes,” with a panel of five judges deciding the Top 10 winners. The judges will bring the top four of those – each winning $1,000 – on stage at the end of the night, with audience applause determining the grand prize winner, who gets to walk home with another $1,500.
Admission to The B.O.B.’s 21-and-older Halloween party, hosted by B-93 and The Brew, is $10 after 7 p.m. Get details online at thebob.com. Doors open at 2 p.m.
And just think, Halloween doesn’t actually descend until next Thursday. Check out Local Spins’ Big List Concert Guide on Monday for details on some creepy-good parties that actually take place on Halloween, including Delilah DeWylde & The Lost Boys’ unusual “Cheap Trick” tribute at Founders Brewing.
Email John Sinkevics at jsinkevics@gmail.com.
Copyright 2013, Spins on Music
