Dubstep DJ Getter has responded back to fans after a particularly negative reception at a recent concert date. In promotion of his latest album Visceral, Getter is touring with a 26-show schedule across the United States. Hitting some smaller, more intimate venues to feature his new sound, the response has been mostly positive.
However, at his Houston show date on March 15, Getter was booed aggressively by fans. These “fans” were expecting his typical dubstep show filled with bangers, but got a much different experience.
The album Visceral is about as close to a 180-degree shift from what you have typically come to expect from Getter. However, the album is truly great – highs and lows, vocal tracks, ambient tunes – it just isn’t very mainstream. Kind of like when you graduate from light beer to IPAs, it takes an experienced palate to enjoy his new sound.
By all accounts, Houston was a “light beer” kind of crowd. The booing and following social media ridicule forced a response from Getter. To his credit, he handled it with class:
you know, i used to make music for the wrong reasons
i found something i can chase and is much more complex then some dumb trendy bullshit
ive spent all my money and time on something i love and thats literally all that matters to me.
boo me all u want, im still doing this shit— ?????? (@GetterOfficial) March 16, 2019
We are at a strange time where we want every little experience to be “epic.” All these festivals with their light shows and fireworks, while wonderful, also are stomping a lot of the creativity out of what artists produce. When we don’t get our show of bangers, we say “They were the worst” or “It f***ing sucks.” We subtly extinguish the fire that drives artists to create for us. Because of this mentality, we are losing out on the nuances that take music from good to great.
We can remember when Avicii debuted his True album at Ultra 2013. Say what you want after the fact, but that show caught some massive flack. It wasn’t appreciated at first. People just wanted tracks like ‘Levels‘.
However, we have also been to shows where we just simply didn’t enjoy the music. We have seen artists perform and it just doesn’t do it for us. Perhaps that was the case with this Getter tour stop. There have been social media posts saying the sound EQ was off.
thanks man!!! yea sound was a bit weird https://t.co/aBF2HJuxU2
— ?????? (@GetterOfficial) March 16, 2019
Regardless, I say bravo to Getter for staying true to himself. Pouring your heart and soul into anything is draining and taxing on the mind and body. It is easy for attendees to criticize and judge from the pit. It is a whole different story to put yourself out there, completely vulnerable, and see how people respond.
I suggest we try practicing some more empathy and let these artists evolve. Like Jay-Z once said: “Want my old shit, buy my old album.” Don’t criticize without having the slightest clue what is driving these artists behind the scenes. Just embrace that they choose to share their creations with us through the medium that is music.
Catch Getter on tour at one of his next stops!
