What’s one major difference between the EDM scene in Puerto Rico versus similar rage-tastic Afrojack shows in Las Vegas or Miami?
The answer: Balance.
Sure, throwing your girlfriend on your shoulders for optimal concert viewing is a common worldwide byproduct of rock and metal, and subsequently this action has shifted to be gender-neutral at U.S. dance music mega-parties in the 21st century. Frat-boy, bro-on-bro stacking is now a common sight at dance shows, and some impressive, circus-like triple stacking was even witnessed during Pretty Lights’ set at Coachella’s first weekend in April. But at Afrojack’s performance last Saturday in San Juan, the young Puerto Rican crowd showed that they can simply take their enthusiasm higher. Literally.
Watch the video above for proof. With the help of friends, many show-goers achieved lofty views and even took center-stage attention away from Afrojack for much of the evening. Are all Puerto Ricans sent to cheerleading camp as children? We would venture to guess (probably not). The most impressive aspect of the ecstatically achieved equilibrium was how next-level super fans launched onto their human pedestals and seamlessly stood on shoulders as if they were on solid ground a level above the rest of the audience, dancing like there was no tomorrow.
The show began by putting the spotlight on four Hollywood-style karate dancers imitating a Jackie Chan fight scene as Afrojack took to his laptop, though the stars of the evening were these YOLO/YOLA-crazy body riders that kept one-upping one another. Every time the faithful erupted into drop-induced group coitus, a new person angelically rose up to become the visual center-point, and this effect collectively over shadowed Afrojack’s stage production and visual aesthetics.
Puerto Rico could easily be America’s 51st state. It’s a country where U.S. corporate influence is dense, English is institutionalized and you can get excellent cell phone reception in the rain forest — it’s the closest thing to neo-colonialism that exists. As sad it is to see our mall-outlet syndrome imprinted on this U.S. territory’s beautiful landscape, the Puerto Rican dance scene gave a glimpse of one interesting difference between the two cultures with impressive human-stilt dancing.
how fun!
Showbams, going international!