When asked what city he was most looking forward to on his latest Aura Park album tour, Dabin replied in a Reddit AMA, “Probably my new hometown, LA. It’s going to be the biggest show of my career, size-wise, plus lots of special surprises planned.”
And as we, those attendees, found out last Saturday, that promise was absolutely fulfilled. Big show? Check – Exposition Park in Downtown LA felt packed to the brim with jersey-clad Dabin fans. Special surprises? Check and CHECK. Not only did Dabin plan an exclusively LA preparty the night before with fan meet-and-greets and huge special guests (Ray Volpe, Jason Ross, Kill the Noise, Elephante, and Armnhmr were just some names who ended up playing a giant B2B), he also brought countless special surprises to Expo Park.
His openers, Paper Skies, Tisoki, and Nurko, set the scene with some melodic dubstep and trap, but the biggest surprise was probably crowd favorite Illenium coming out as the “secret guest” – who had been unnamed on the lineup leading up to the show. Rumors had been circulating during the week that it could be Illenium, but many people had ruled him out since he’s such a huge get to play a 30-minute opening set. After all, this is an artist who sold out 3 nights at the biggest stadium in LA just last year! When the famous phoenix logo finally showed up onscreen, everyone around me burst into astonished cheers. It was heartwarming to see Illenium, someone Dabin credits as helping him “grow a lot as a musician and producer,” show up for his friend and throw down. He even played out his new track, “In My Arms” with Hayla!
But Dabin didn’t stop there with the surprises – during his headlining set, he brought out guest after guest, so the excitement never died down! He brought vocalists and co-producers out to bring their iconic collabs to life: Kai Wachi and Lo Spirit for “Hollow,” MAX for “Stüpid in Love,” Dia Frampton for “Bloom, Jason Ross for “In the End”; and newer collabs on Aura Park with Frosttop and Tiffany Day for “Summer’s Gone” and FRND for “Constellation.” My personal favorite moment had to be when he brought out Trella to sing their massive hit “Worlds Away,” and she transitioned seamlessly into “First Time.” It felt like the entire crowd was singing back to them as one; what a moment!
Another memorable moment was when he played his “Free” remix from the recent Netflix phenomenon KPop Demon Hunters. Netizens have been demanding the release of this highly-anticipated remix for weeks, though Dabin has explained it was done for Republic Records and will be released on their timetable. So not surprisingly, the crowd reaction when he played it live (to visuals from the movie!) was deafening.
Overall, Dabin’s Aura Park show was the perfect encapsulation of his album. When asked about the vibe he wanted to bring to Aura Park, Dabin responded on Reddit, “I just wanted to have fun, to be honest, and to bring back more dance and electronic elements into my music.” He said that his last album, Between Broken, was written during Covid lockdown and therefore ended up straying so far into “acoustic/chill/downtempo territory” that it wasn’t as live-performance friendly. “I started making Aura Park when shows started happening again, and the fun and energy of the live shows and the fans really inspired me to write music that was a little more upbeat,” he explained.
That upbeat energy was absolutely conveyed, as thousands of fans danced and screamed every lyric to his iconic bangers and his newest Aura Park tracks. I talked to a few fans before the set started, and all of them had only the most effusive things to say about Dabin. So many of them had met him before, gotten merch signed by him, or have just run into him out and about in LA (he’s often spotted eating and getting boba with bestie Ray Volpe). He closed out Saturday’s set by telling LA just how grateful he was to play to us, and I absolutely felt the love he had for his new hometown. Dabin definitely put together an unforgettable night at the Park!