Beats Antique
Center Stage Theater - Atlanta, GA
After witnessing the incredible spectacle that was my first show at Resonate Suwannee festival back in April, I was addicted to Beats Antique and needed to experience them again, so of course I squealed when I saw they would be touring so close so soon!
Atlanta is a hotbed for music and has no shortage of venues. There’s so many combinations that can be made between artists and venues, two shows at the same place won’t have the same vibe! So far this year, I’ve seen three Atlanta shows at three different venues, each having their own sound that’s a big part of the music experience. This time for Beats, we were showing up to get down at the Center Stage Theater near the midtown area of the city. Rich with music history since the 60’s, it was an interesting place that contained three separate music halls, which on this night, was a full house with two other shows going on in the Vinyl and Loft sides. Center Stage (which ironically was the right side venue), had a traditional stage theater setup so there would be no bad views, a platform stage that sat Goldilocks off the ground, and general admission for standing and seating - the ideal venue. As said before, the type of venue can absolutely affect the music experience, some artists sound better flowing in open-air while others thrive in the resonance of an enclosed space. Since I had recently seen their fantastical open-air show at Suwannee that very much fit the vibe of the band but did lose a bit of sound quality as the waves escape around us, I was eager to see between the heavy drums and sultry wubs, how the experience would be being surrounded by walls designed to carry sound. Spoiler, it was just as beautiful, because the performance is just that regardless of venue.
We gathered in and found our spot dead center floor where the quality of views and sounds would shine, and most importantly, give us space to dance. As we waited for the opener, we met a couple that shared a resemblance to me and my fiance, their names were Blake and Chloe. My fiance and Blake both wore hats heavily adorned with festival pins which shined in a way that reminded me of the Rainbow Fish. Chloe was sweet and rather new to this type of music scene but she flowed well with the abundance of kindness that’s found in these communities. As we chatted, we found more common music interests together as they were both Papadosio fans (my favorite band), and they’re attending the Tipper show at the Orion Amphitheater next month just like us! We all danced between excitement and grief for how we only recently discovered this legendary artist in his last year of 20 years of touring and making music. We hope to reunite with them at that show, but if not, it’s still quite a magical experience to connect with people through music, the universal language of the soul.
However fun socializing with people in the scene can be, the reason we were all there was finally starting. The drums pounded, the bellies danced, and the crowd cheered as we all moved through time as a collective of bliss sharing this musical moment on our journey. Their whole vibe is fascinating and sensual - playing with unique instruments, infused with fiery tribal dub, and glorious attire for the equally glorious trio of belly-dancing goddesses on stage. To see how each part formed a perfect trifecta of art was a wonder to behold. I've been a dancer myself for 27 years, never professionally, but always passionately. For me, dancing is one of the most powerful methods of connection to myself, to others, to nature, to All. I like to ponder the paradox of how there’s both an infinite number of ways to dance, and also no universal way to dance. My personal experience with dancing is ecstatic in nature; my spirit can feel restricted with rehearsed choreography. But I do still love to watch choreo, especially if it's an eclectic-sound, well-synchronized, themed performance like this one. Seriously, the *humyn body is an incredible form, the muscle memory and control they had to be able to move minute and specific parts to flow through rolling waves and angular patterns was a marvel. The movements were connected to ancient dance practices now modernized to fit the progressive journey of music and humyn expression, so would that make dancing the “Antique” part of their vibe, while the infusion of dubstep would be the “Beats”?
In any meaning of their name, they’ve created a very special space in our world for live music and artistic performances that connects us All. There’s no bad time to have a good time and if you’re looking for that, you’ll always find it with communities who share love for music and the artists who share love with them. Beats Antique, thank you for a good time of sharing love.
