Continuing with the trend of Porter Robinson from the previous event listed, Virtual Self is an alias that Porter Robinson created for the purpose of chasing a more rave-like sound. This alias means a lot to me, as Porter’s main inspiration for the sound of Virtual Self was the sound you would find in Japanese music games in the 2000s that I shaped a lot of my life around.

As far as the venue goes I can’t say I’ve ever been a fan of The Complex and it’s layout, but there were no glaring issues with the audio. For this show, there were barriers running down the middle of the room that segregated general admission from VIP, with the tech booth sitting behind GA, creating a corner that you can get squished in between the middle divider and the tech booth which in previous shows I’ve had the great displeasure of getting squished into.

The stage for the show was a glass platform that was segmented into a grid, with a moving head light under each square in the grid which was used to create some amazing lighting spectacles paired with a giant LED wall, and laser machines mounted up above. The tour’s setlist and visuals did their best to lean into the aesthetic of a 2000s rave but on a mainstream EDM budget.

For the Virtual Self project Porter also invented two characters who would be the fictional producers for Virtual Self’s music, Pathselector and Technic Angel. Pathselector’s character was used in promotional materials and visuals for Virtual Self songs that were “lower” BPM (150 and under) while Technic Angel would represent the high octane tracks that break 170 BPM and beyond. This played into the live show, where we received an hour of music from Pathselector, followed by a transition into an hour long set with Technic Angel. Many of the tracks in both sets were pulled straight from Dance Dance Revolution and Beatmania IIDX with a few of these tracks getting custom-made, unreleased Virtual Self remixes.

The show went off without a hitch, and as a bonus I got to meet Porter Robinson himself after the show after so many years trying to camp out after his shows! These moments meant a lot to me, as I was able to talk video games and music with him one on one for a bit, and snag some photos. One of the best highlights from any event I’ve ever attended!