Underworld played Knockdown Center (Night 2)

The legendary electronic duo Underworld came to Knockdown Center for two nights and unleashed pure techno madness.

An Underworld appearance is not a rare thing, the electronic legends are regulars at dance music festivals around the world and have been since their hey day in the 90s, but it's not every day you have the chance to see them in a smaller venue (smaller than a giant festival crowd, anyway) so having them in town for two nights at Knockdown Center in Queens was a treat and one not to miss. Playing two sets on both nights Karl Hyde and Rick Smith they hit the stage around 9:00 and began to light up the room with their throbbing house beats that instantly had the crowd getting warmed up and ready to dance the night away. Back with a massive screen to help with the visuals, the rest of the hall was covered in a giant cargo net that was outfitted with tiny lights throughout that would illuminate and helped transform the warehouse into a classic rave setting that fully encompassed the crowd and overwhelmed the senses in the best possible way. Combining techno, classic house, drum and bass, and other dance oriented music, it was non-stop beats that had the crowd throwing hands in the air as the waves of synths washed over us. Flowing a quick set break that allowed people to go outside and catch some air (it was brutally hot and steamy inside the venue), the second half really turned the show inside out as they went even harder on the visuals and when they hit us with "Dark and Long - Dark Train" the audience roared with a feverish delight as the four on the floor rhythm gave us some prime dancing opportunity that felt like it could last forever. Karl Hyde's live vocals and his own personal excitement also helped take the night to a new level as he constantly bombed across the stage as he delivered some of the most iconic vocal lines in electronic music and being able to see him actually do it vs playing pre-recorded music was something really special  and made the entire night a total blast. Of course everything was leading up to one moment and the duo made sure to go out with a bang so when the opening arpeggiated riff of "Born Slippy Nuxx" rang out, there was a brief moment when the crowd paused to look on in awe and in that moment feel totally weightless and truly euphoric. The most bedazzling rainbow assortment of lights then followed as we collectively lost our minds to one of the greatest songs of the '90s and one of dance music's biggest and most important jams. Hyde once again traversed the stage to crush the track's monumental lyrical style that has morphed into a mantra of sorts as it was printed across the merch of countless people in attendance. To be able to hear and experience the song live was nothing short of spectacular and looking around at everyone who was also in a state of elevated bliss was moving beyond compare and highlighted the extreme power of music and its ability to bring us all together for unfiltered joy.