Rusko Review at The Congress Theatre

May 5th 2012.  The iconic Congress Theater was packed early on in the night with thousands of dubstep fans waiting to spend their Cinco de Mayo with the one and only Rusko.  Having been hyped up by openers Sigma and Zebo, and even teased with “Somebody to Love” as Zebo’s closer (accompanied by a stage dive from Rusko himself), the crowd was fiercely chanting for Rusko to take the stage.

At 11:45 Rusko finally electrified the audience with a powerful opening of his song “Thunder.”  It was an upbeat and dance-worthy set for the rest of the night, as he played a mix of dubstep infused with some drum n’ bass and electro.  Having released his new album “Songs” just a few weeks ago, a majority of the tracks he spun were from the new album and of course, some older favorites and some great remixes as well.

Nowadays it’s questionable as to which djs are actually spinning live and which are just hitting play on a computer; but with Rusko it’s 100% real, 100% of the time.  Along with real mixing, Rusko is a true performer.  His energy while on stage is infectious, you’d think this was his very first time performing.  With his random and entertaining interjecting comments and the infamous ‘skanker’ dance, the audience was hanging on his every word, move and song.

From the moment the first beat hit the speakers, the crowd was jumping, head banging, and doing every type of dance you can possibly imagine.  The bass pulsated through each body in the place, bounced off the walls, and then came back and hit you again and again.  You could constantly feel the sound waves vibrating around you, going through, you and making you want to dance.  Tracks like “New Style,” ‘Everyday,” ‘Woo Boost,” “Stars Come Out” and “Invincible” were mixed to perfection and kept the vibe going strong.  Since his last Congress Theater show was used to make the music video for “Somebody to Love,” he even treated his Chicago fans to an amazing new remix of the song.  As he moved from dubstep, to drum n’ bass, to hip hop remixes, his transitions took the audience on a roller coaster through the set with no dull moment to be found.  Even as the night was coming to end, neither Rusko nor the audience lost a bit of energy.


“If you could see what I see...,” shouted Rusko with a huge smile on his face.  The crowd went insane, and with that he closed his set with his popular track “Hold On.”  Rusko once again put on another show for the books and I’m sure every Chicago fan will be eagerly awaiting his return.

Thanks to React Presents and The Congress Theater for hosting the event!

- Jaimee of Global Dance Electronic