Last weekend Shaun Frank made his way to Portland on his Getaway Tour, and it was one for the books. Shaun Frank is a house artist from Toronto, Canada, and has collaborated with artists such as Olivier Heldens, Borgeous, and he helped write Closer by The Chainsmokers.
The night had a slower start, with many of the attendees buying their tickets the night of, making the line seem to go slower then usual. Luckily the venue – 45 East – had covering to stand under while we waited in line. Formerly called Euphoria, the venue has had more than just a name change recently. There was a new VIP area, new bathrooms and just all around more space. In addition, there were more screens and speakers, which made for better sound and visuals through out the venue. And they also added lasers!
After seeing an amazing set on his tour with Dr. Fresch and SNBRN, we were pumped for what Shaun Frank had in store on this solo tour. He started the night off like we were expecting, with some future house beats. About half way through his set, he explained to the crowd that he could play a harder or softer song … The crowd went crazy for “harder,” and from that point on he changed the sound a bit to be more trap.
We know some people have mixed feelings on how hard and intense trap can be, but Shaun Frank would have made a believer out of anyone on the fence. We were dancing as hard as ever with the crowd to some amazing trap. His mixing style was fast paced, with not too many drops within a track. There were some moments where you were really able to get into a song, but many times he was very quick. You could never get too comfortable.
He was all about the crowd, and he let the music speak for itself. It was nice to go to a show without a lot of talking or self hype. The moments he did turn to his mic were short, or he was genuinely thanking the crowd. We love this!
On a night that had both a full moon and the apparent storm of the century in predictions, we weren’t exactly sure how everything would unfold, but the energy of that night was on par with some of our greatest shows. If you get the chance to see Shaun Frank on his own or on a group tour, make sure to check him out.
Were you there? What was your experience?
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