Why Lucky 2018 Was The Most Special Show of The Year (So Far)

Another Lucky has come and gone, and we can help still finding ourselves looking back in wonder at this years spectacle.

Lucky has always been a night where USC pulls out all the stops. The lineup. The visuals. Always spectacular. This year was certainly no different, but there was something else this year that felt far more special than normal. Not a single moment, but a culmination of a few things coming together in beautiful coalescence.

Locals Stealing The Show

This feeling was present from the start. The night began with the local bass duo Bandit opening up the main stage. The energy in their sets is palpable in a small club setting, and to see them with the full power of a USC massive behind them was truly breathtaking. It is common to see locals given the first set of the night. What is less common, however, is to hear attendees murmuring the rest of the night about how they wished those openers were given another hour.

Bass Will Take You Home

As usual, the thunderous boom of PK sound filled the bass stage. Ray Volpe and Spag Heddy’s early slots set the tone for the rest of the night. Both warned concertgoers that not a single artist on the lineup was there to take prisoners. This trend continued through the rest of the night. What set this year’s bass lineup apart from others, was the sheer diversity of the acts. The crowd was treated to everything from brand new ID’s from Ray Volpe, to old-school bangers from Andy C.

Easily the most remarkable thing, however, was Rusko’s triumphant return to Seattle. After winning his battle against cancer, Rusko had only played a handful of shows up until Lucky. Despite issues with the speakers and power behind the booth, he was still able to deliver a set for the ages. Just in time for BTSM, the decks were fired up and ready to go, again, but not before Rusko came back out to play Hold On and give the crowd what they had been waiting to hear since the last time he was here several years back.

Trance Fairies, Unite!

While USC certainly didn’t skimp on their bass lineup this year, there was a clear effort to include all tastes in music. The aptly named “End of The Rainbow” was every trance lover’s dream and a true pot of gold for anyone else who decided to check out the stage. Along with solid musical performances all night, the visuals were easily the most striking of the entire event. The room was packed the entire night for everyone from the more commercial Orjan Nilsen to psytrance warriors Freedom Fighters.

Though all of the acts were incredible, John Askew showed us that trance is very much alive and well in the world. His unique sound and near surgical mixing was noted by all as not a single body stood still throughout the entirety of his set. Making constant nods to his rock and roll past, he melded fast beats, and beautiful melodies to create a set no one in attendance will soon forget.

Lucky will always be a fun night for those in attendance. It will always be big, and it will always be a good time. Lucky 2018 showed us again why it remains a Northwest favorite year after year. Not just because of the huge production and sound.

That was just the tip of the iceberg. This year we were witness to not only the hottest locals and rising stars, to those that helped shape the industry to what it is today. It’s fair to say that a culmination of these things made this the best Lucky to date, and will keep us coming back for years to come.