On January 22, 2022, Relentless Beats announced that it would be moving their Subtronics show, scheduled for that night, forty-five minutes away to the Jobing.com Arena. The only public statement was that the ownership of the Rawhide Event Center had left them no option and they did the best they could with such short notice. Shortly after, Relentless Beats announced Phoenix Raceway as their new home, a venue that, despite some hiccups with the large crowds, has received a positive reception from the local community. Rawhide became a distant memory for most, until last weekend when EDM megastar Illenium headlined a massive one-night show heralded as the Return to Rawhide.
My first ever EDM event, Phoenix Lights 2018, was held at Rawhide. The event center quickly became a second home to me as I found myself there more and more frequently. It didn’t matter if I was watching artists play inside the large warehouse or headbanging in the crowd of the dusty field outside. Rawhide was a happy place for me and I was excited to witness the Return to Rawhide for myself.
It was a quick reminder of how conveniently close Rawhide is to the freeway, making it quick and relatively painless to follow the signs to the free parking lots; upgraded premium parking was available for purchase as well. While I had a minor hiccup getting inside, it seemed to be a fairly smooth experience for everyone else. Lines weren’t too long and moved pretty quickly.
I was still able to catch the first artist of the night, Mamba. The Phoenix-based artist started off the night with a high-energy set blending dubstep, melodic bass, and even some heavy-hitting bass house beats. His energetic performance helped set the tempo for the rest of the night and the crowd responded enthusiastically.
Next up was Bonnie X Clyde, the musical duo of Daniel Litman and Paige Lopynski. The group set a beautiful tone as Lopynski’s singing voice flowed through the entire set. They took the time to play out some groovy beats to get the crowd moving and some romantic songs for the swarm of Illenium fans, even playing out a gorgeous remix of “Drops of Jupiter” by Train.
Crankdat took the stage next. I had been trying to see Crankdat live for almost five years, and his set made the wait completely worthwhile. He played so many bouncy, heavy bass songs that even in the 100+ degree heat, no one in the crowd was standing still. As if the night wasn’t hot enough, this is when the pyro started spraying on the stage, kicking the quality of the stage production up another level.
After the energy of the Crankdat set, I was ready for a break. I was told the crowd had swelled to over 7,000 people, and there were limited cooling areas outside. Thankfully, part of the temperature-controlled warehouse was left open for the crowd to get out of the heat and have a spot to rest. They also had a giant chess board setup and some hammocks to rest on. There were even more bars and places for food inside to recharge before the headliner.
Finally, it was time for Illenium to take the stage. I admit that I am not the biggest Illenium fan; I enjoy his sound but have never found myself vibing to his emotional live sets. This, however, was not just the normal Illenium set I had seen before. Illenium came out with heavy dubstep drops and stayed banging for almost the entirety of his set. This wasn’t a set where you heard the beautiful melodic drop of his single “Gorgeous”; instead, he opted for the grungy Blanke remix. He slowed things down a bit midway with a remix of “Numb” by Linkin Park, which is always a crowd favorite, and then moved back to some Earth-shattering eats.
Reflecting on the show after, I can say I am happy to have Rawhide back as an option for Relentless Beats, but I don’t know if I am yet ready to go back to calling it home multiple weekends a month. Dealing with dust all night is a regular hurdle anyone attending a show here needs to be aware of, so a facemask is a must (aside from warehouse-only shows). But that can be difficult to keep on in the hot, summer nights.
Relentless Beats having multiple venues to hold large festivals in Phoenix can only be a good thing and I will definitely be attending another Rawhide event in the future. But I am not ready to say goodbye to Phoenix Raceway just yet and hope it remains a core part of future Relentless Beats events. The variety and adaptability of these venues offer exciting possibilities for future events, ensuring that each experience remains unique and memorable.
