I recently had the opportunity to attend Shaq’s Bass All-Stars. I was excited about this show, not just because it had so many big names in the bass scene – Kompany, Midnight Tyrannosaurus, PhaseOne, Yookie, He$h, and the big man himself Shaquille O’Neal aka Diesel – but I was also happy to check out Warehouse 215, a new venue south of downtown Phoenix.
Warehouse 215 is located far enough away from downtown Phoenix that it is easy to get to the venue while avoiding the bulk of downtown traffic. The parking lot, which was used for those that had purchased the $20 parking pass in advance, was a short three minute walk from the door. Valet parking was an option as well, if you wanted to completely cut out the walk.
Inside I found a large venue split into multiple warehouse style rooms, each divided by thick brick walls. There were also two large patio areas with plenty of benches to sit. One room was decorated in a jungle theme with vines and hammocks hanging from the ceiling and soft spots on the floor to sit. I had heard of the lines for the indoor gender neutral bathrooms being an issue at a prior event, but the addition of a half dozen porta potties outside alleviated that problem. Attendees were allowed to bring two sealed water bottles and empty Camelbacks were allowed, with free water refill stations inside. Also, plenty of bar areas were set up in every room and the outdoor area, so there was never a long wait for drinks.
The largest of the rooms, The Cathedral, which was dedicated to the mainstage, was actually two rooms with the wall between them removed, leaving the large support pillars in the middle of the crowd. The stage had one large video wall along with lights and some lasers. Large crystal chandeliers hung from the rafters, giving off an awesome effect when struck by the light and lasers from the stage.
In The Cathedral, I watched a local favorite of mine, 2Soon, play out his new song ‘Cup of Liber-tea‘, which was based on the game Helldivers 2. I screamed with the crowd for every Rick and Morty sample during Midnight Tyrannosaurus. Kompany surprised me with a small Drum and Bass section during his time on stage. Yookie had so many remixes and flips, it made my head spin. The crowd swelled when Shaq playing a set that celebrated all forms of bass music. The big man truly brought some big sounds.
The crowd inside The Cathedral was huge. Night two sold out and I was told 1000 more people were expected than the previous evening. Even with that huge crowd, people stayed polite. Pushing was at a minimum and “excuse me” seemed to echo around the room as people made their way closer to the stage. The only issue with this stage was because of how the the room was set up. The sounds pillars only went about halfway back, which cut the sound levels so low you could hear the conversations of the people around you in the latter half of the crowd. I feel some additional speakers in the back half of the room could fix this.
Behind The Cathedral I found The Grotto. A much smaller stage in a dark brick room with no lights, no visuals, no lasers. Hearing the massive sounds of Stoned Level, and watching Benda play new stuff he made with Sullivan King in this dark and intimate room was a treat. It was too bad that an open door in the back allowed the sound from the main stage to bleed into the room, completely overpowering the small stage.
In a side room there was the third stage, The Vestibule. Although, I hesitate to call this a stage, as is was more a table with a CDJ for local artists to show off their skills as people went to and from the outside areas. There was always a small crowd of friends and family showing their support for the future talent of the scene. It’s always a source of pride to be able to say, “I saw them play a crowd of less than 100 people, and now they are headlining EDC!”
Shaq’s Bass All-Stars wasn’t a massive festival with giant stages dwarfing a massive crowd. It was a small event where you and your friends could see some big artists play their biggest songs. I had hoped for a bigger production, but I wasn’t necessarily disappointed with what I received. It was an event where your group could find a place to sneak away to have some quiet time, discover some new music on the smaller stages, or even sit and enjoy a round of Mario Kart 64. The main issue of the night was the sound bleed that happened across some of the stages. My belief is this is just some growing pains of the new venue. I hope they iron out the issues next time I attend a show at Warehouse 215, because I absolutely will be returning here. All in all, it was two amazing nights of bass and wonderful surprises!
