Grammy-nominated electro super-group Swedish House Mafia will have finished their final tour as a band at the end of March. I’m not even a fan of electronic music, but when my friend offered me a spare ticket to the sold out show, I couldn’t resist.
After seven years of topping the charts and touring the world as a group, Steve Angello, Axwell, and Sebastian Ingrosso are pursuing solo careers. All of which are as commendable as their career as a group.
The “One Last Tour” started in Dubai, back in the middle of Nov. of 2012, and traveled around the world, visiting 15 countries before coming to the United States. San Francisco hosted the first leg of the U.S. tour, where the band headlined five consecutive sold out shows between the 13th and 17th of Feb. at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium.
A special Valentine’s Day show
Music lovers came out in full force for Valentine’s day, dressed in all sorts of colorful outfits. The crowd was a crazy fashion show in itself. The energy filling the atmosphere could be felt from the streets outside of the auditorium.
As the group came out, surrounded by an incredible display of plasma screens that stretched across the ceiling down to the stage floor, they directed the show from 30 feet above the audience in a booth only seen when the screens would fade to black.
The three members stood next to one another as lights from every direction shot out into the crowd in disarray and fusion at the same time. As if the heat from the leaping crowd wasn’t enough, they included a pyrotechnic show that was just enough for a fire marshal to handle, and more than enough for the crowd to erupt.
Angello, Axwell, and Ingrosso created as much energy as music. There was simply no room for yawning nor standing still from the second the music began to the lingering moments after the show where all you could hear was the memory of your favorite song of the night.
It was a night to remember to say the least. Between their 2011 smash hits, “Save the World,” “Antidote,” and their latest crowd favorites, emotions were choreographed across the auditorium with full spirit. It’s hard to believe these are the last shows this group will perform together.