Swedish House Mafia at Madison Square Garden 12/16/11: Review, Tracklisting & Live Set

Posted on Dec 22, 2011 in Events, Live Sets, Reviews

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Friday night, was, simply put, an evening of pure Swedish House Mafia hysteria. Ten straight hours of it. I don’t even know where to start.

I’ll begin by being honest: I had semi-low expectations going in to this evening. For the past several months, we’d all been bombarded with the major hype surrounding Swedish House Mafia’s sold-out Madison Square Garden show, which was announced way back on September 23rd. While I am, of course, a huge SHM fan, I wasn’t entirely impressed with the show they put on at M2 in NYC in February 2010. And I was also skeptical of what an EDM show hosted at MSG would actually be like. I expected an evening of long lines, lots of hassle, not being able to move amongst a huge crowd (full of huge tools… or huge weirdos), and a let-down of a performance in light of all of the overblown build-up the event had received.

Well, guess what… I was wrong! Totally wrong. And I’m so happy I was. We arrived at MSG at around 8:45pm, and, despite boatloads of people at the venue, there were no lines. Security was chill and helpful, and we arrived inside as fast as possible. And the moment I walked out to the floor (thank you, SHM, for finally paying us back for that lackluster M2 show!), I knew that my night was going to be amazing. We were smack in the middle of Madison Square Garden – 5 feet away from the stage, surrounded by MSG’s towering 20,000 seats.

A-trak went on at 9:15pm for an hour-long set. He had his signature DJ booth – a sort of wooden, deconstructed “A” that glows around the edges. Second, he was wearing a tux (as if we needed further evidence that he should be voted as EDM’s best-dressed DJ). And, third of all, he played one of the most dynamic – though short – sets I’ve ever heard. For those who haven’t seen A-trak live in the past, his sets are high-energy and a real-time demonstration of the immense technical skill he possesses. He opened with “Eargasm” by Black Raw (Daddy’s Grove Re-Edit), transitioned into Tommy Trash’s “Future Folk,” and spent the remainder of the hour completely captivating the crowd with an eclectic mix of electronic, hip-hop, and everything in between. The best thing about A-trak is that you can tell he’s actually working – and working hard – when he’s in the booth. He set the bar high, and it stayed there the rest of the night.

By 10:45pm, it was time. The crowd was about to explode. The lights dimmed, and images of Madison Square Garden, New York City, DJ equipment, creepy circular objects, and other “general stuff” were projected on to the billowing white curtain that hung from the ceiling over the DJ booth. “We come. We rave. We love.” – the undeniable motto of the evening – also obviously made an appearance on the white curtain. “Together” by Axwell and Ingrosso feat. Michael Feiner started to echo throughout the venue. After what seemed like an eternity, the curtain dropped (ala Tiësto in Vegas) to reveal Steve, Seb, and Axwell perched on top of a massive, MASSIVE semi-circular DJ booth studded in LEDs, with a backdrop of another massive semi-circular wall, also studded in LEDs. And the rest of the night, as they say, is history.

SHM’s MSG set cannot be described in any way other than banger on banger on banger. On banger. Following “Together,” SHM went on to play an Axwell recut of Michael Calfan’s “Resurrection,” layered with the vocals of Axwell feat. Steve Edwards, “Watch the Sunrise,” and then the truly head-exploding “Atom” by Nari & Milani. Instead of give a play-by-play of each track, which could probably take up ten pages, I’ll give you some of my favorites: Feenixpawl & Ivan Gough feat. Georgi Kay, “In My Mind,” one of the most beautiful songs I’ve heard in a long time; Deniz Koyu’s “Tung!” mixed with Calvin Harris’ “Feel So Close,” a combination I never would have expected; Dirty South & Those Usual Suspects feat. Erik Hecht, “Walking Alone” vs. SHM’s “Miami 2 Ibiza” with live vocals from Tinie Tempah; SHM vs. Knife Party, “Antidote,” which floored everybody in the venue; another surprise live performance from John Martin for SHM’s “Save the World;” and The Temper Trap’s “Sweet Disposition” (Axwell & Dirty South Remix) with Adrian Lux vs. “Teenage Crime,” which came towards the end of the set and made all 20,000 people in the venue, I think, feel very nostalgic. After thanking the crowd – “Thank you from the bottom of our hearts, we love you guys” – SHM closed with “Leave the World Behind,” mixed with bits of Nicky Romero’s remix of “Flash,” followed by a sick combination of “Be,” “I Found U,” and “Knas.” Pure Swedish heaven.

I left Madison Square Garden in one of the best moods of my life – albeit with permanent hearing loss – to go on to the Masquerade Motel After Party at Roseland Ballroom, which is a story for another time and place. To sum it up, it entailed a lot more Swedish House Mafia, a lot more bangers, and a sick set from AN21 and Max Vangeli, who, sadly, looked like an overweight teenage girl. Max, do not ever wear a purple shirt again. Also, get a haircut.

Over the past few days since the event, I’ve seen a lot of mixed reviews of what went down at Madison Square Garden. The New York Times, for one, seemed to be disappointed with the lack of “technical complexity” SHM demonstrated, referring instead to their set as “straightforward, four-on-the-floor mega-house, with little in the way of rhythmic variation.” And yeah, that’s exactly what it was. But did I – or would you – expect anything different? Swedish House Mafia is the embodiment of “mega-house,” and a venue like Madison Square Garden calls for a performance that is all-out, over-the-top, and laden with anthem after anthem. That is exactly what they gave us. I’ve seen other complaints that the crowd was “lame” and the show “boring.” Let me tell you, it was not. The sense of community, respect, and energy at Madison Square Garden on Friday night was overwhelming. It was one of those events that was, no matter how corny this sounds, monumental and life-changing. If you were there, you know what I mean. And if you’ve ever been to a show that’s made you feel that way – which, if you’re reading this, you probably have – you also know what I mean.

The bottom line is that Swedish House Mafia’s performance at Madison Square Garden represents something much bigger for the EDM community. Over the past year, we have been witnessing a transformation in EDM that is undeniable and tangible. What was once a niche genre is no longer that. Whether you like it or not, EDM is mainstream, and Swedish House Mafia announced it to the world on Friday night. EDM is here, it is now, and it’s time to embrace it.

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Download the live set of Swedish House Mafia at Madison Square Garden

01. Axwell & Sebastian Ingrosso feat. Michael Feiner – Together (The Attic Intro Edit) w/ ID
02. Michael Calfan – Resurrection (Axwell’s Recut Club Version) [Axtone] w/ Axwell feat. Steve Edwards – Watch The Sunrise (Acappella) [Axtone]
03. Nari & Milani – Atom [Size]
04. David Guetta & Afrojack – Lunar [EMI]
05. Deniz Koyu – Hydra [Joia] w/ Adele – Set Fire To The Rain (Thomas Gold Remix) [XL]
06. Sebastian Ingrosso & Alesso – Calling (Instrumental Mix) [Refune]
07. Feenixpawl & Ivan Gough feat. Georgi Kay – In My Mind [Axtone]
08. Deniz Koyu – Tung! [Flamingo] w/ Calvin Harris – Feel So Close [Sony]
09. Niki & The Dove – Mother Protect (Alex Metric Remix) [EMI] w/ Afrojack – Replica [Wall]
10. Axwell – Heart Is King [Axtone] w/ R.E.M – Losing My Religion (Acappella) [Sony] w/ Ferry Corsten – Punk (Arty ‘Rock-N-Rolla’ Remix) [Flashover]
11. James Blunt – Dangerous (Deniz Koyu & Johan Wedel Remix) [Atlantic] (Axwell Edit)
12. Cassius – I Love U So [Ed Banger] w/ Michael Woods – Bullet [Diffused] w/ Nero – Promises (Calvin Harris Remix) [MTA]
13. Pendulum – The Island (Steve Angello, AN21 & Max Vangeli Remix) [Size / One More Tune] w/ R3hab & Swanky Tunes feat. Max C – Sending My Love [Wall]
14. Arty, Matisse & Sadko – Trio [Axtone]
15. Dirty South & Those Usual Suspects feat. Erik Hecht – Walking Alone [Phazing] w/ Swedish House Mafia vs. Tinie Tempah – Miami 2 Ibiza [Virgin] (Live Vocals) w/ Dirty South & Those Usual Suspects feat. Erik Hecht – Walking Alone (Acappella) [Phazing]
16. Swedish House Mafia vs. Knife Party – Antidote (Vocal Mix) [EMI]
17. Tommy Trash – The End [Downright] w/ Florence and The Machine – You’ve Got The Love (Mark Knight Remix) [Toolroom] w/ Swedish House Mafia – One [Virgin]
18. Axwell feat. Errol Reid – Nothing But Love (Remode Mix) [Axtone] w/ Arty – Around The World [Anjunabeats]
19. Steve Angello – Yeah [Size]
20. John Dahlback feat. Erik Hassle – One Last Ride (Tommy Trash Remix) [Mutants / Big Beat]
21. Diddy, Dirty Money feat. Skylar Grey – Coming Home (Dirty South Remix) [Interscope] w/ Daft Punk – Aerodynamic [Virgin] w/ Hard Rock Sofa – Quasar [Axtone]
22. Nadia Ali, Alex Kenji & Starkillers – Pressure (Alesso Remix) [Spinnin] w/ Coldplay – Fix You [EMI]
23. Coldplay vs. Swedish House Mafia – Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall [Parlophone]
24. Swedish House Mafia feat. John Martin – Save The World [EMI] (Live Vocals)
25. The Temper Trap – Sweet Disposition (Axwell & Dirty South Remix) [Infectious] w/ Adrian Lux – Teenage Crime (Axwell & Henrik B Remode) [Axtone]
26. Steve Angello, Axwell, Sebastian Ingrosso & Laidback Luke feat. Deborah Cox – Leave The World Behind [Axtone] w/ DEVolution feat. Amy Pearson – Good Love (Alesso Remix) w/ Green Velvet – Flash (Nicky Romero Remix) [Relief]
27. Steve Angello & Laidback Luke vs. Robin S – Show Me Love [Ministry Of Sound] w/ Axwell feat. Max C – I Found U [Axtone] w/ Steve Angello – Knas [Size]