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Halloween is a time for children to dress like adults, and for adults to act like children. We all dress up for various cultural reasons and indulge in candy as well as parties. It’s truly one of the most unique holidays of the year. All the mischief and costumes have brought forth some great events. For a second year in a row GRiZMatik has come to The Rave in Milwaukee, WI to show us what really goes bump in the night.

GRiZMatik embodies GRiZ and Gramatik. These guys have been headlining shows solo and collaborating at festivals for a couple years now and they truly have the art down to a science. Their sound is unique both as solo artists and as GRiZMatik because of their ability to flawlessly combine their talents of production, DJing, and live saxophone. This year’s show was exactly what a fan would expect plus a few added surprises.

Entering The Rave was more like TSA security at the airport, such as taking off our shoes as well as the line being slow, invasive, and a sweaty crawl into the Eagles Ballroom, the largest of the many stages inside The Rave. Manic Focus was the opener to the show and his funky beats set the stage for the entire night. The room filled with hundreds of costumes, from full body panda suits to skimpy police officers in tutus and all things creative in between.

After Manic Focus finished his set, he announced GRiZ profoundly and the crowd went wild. Soon came Gramatik to create the full effect. To the slight disappointment of a costumed writer, the group wasn’t in costume. Alas, a Halloween get up might have been daunting on stage, but where’s the spirit!? Yet, the light show for the set was impeccable. Larger than life LED panels striped the stage, creating a lit yet broken backdrop. Spotlights weaved around like a drunkard attempting to regain balance, lining the top and bottom of the stage making the entire lit experience complex. One downside about The Rave is its sound. In the Eagles Ballroom especially the acoustics are atrocious, with an overactive and echoing treble giving way to a bass that attempts to hold everything together through its own reverb. One would think that after the many years of iconic shows at the venue they would attempt to update the sound system.

But, GRiZMatik came through the gates at a full sprint. From the beginning their bass was heavy, vibrating the walls of the immense ballroom. The group played popular tunes from each side, including the team favorite “A Fine Way to Die” and GRiZ’s talent came through in “DTW to DIA.” In the middle of the show the group went into DJ mode, playing a remix of “Play That Funky Music,” as well as a couple other familiar tunes. It’s always a great time when a group plays something familiar for the entire crowd. Young and old, fans and fresh ears, could all get down to the funk. Everyone was singing along from one remix to the next and the breakdown was a great addition to the set. Common music is what truly brings us all together. As if the collaboration of GRiZMatik wasn’t enough to seal the deal on Halloween, a special guest appearance by ProbCause was a fantastic surprise addition to the set. Popping out of nowhere, ProbMatik performed “Monster Stop” to the surprised audience of ghouls. Ending the set with “Gettin’ Live,” the group played a little too long, not allowing for an encore, which was a little disappointing (even though encores are a little silly in the first place).

GRiZMatik created the perfect Halloween party. Costumes, candy, and bass should always roll together. We look forward to hearing more from GRiZ, Gramatik, and GRiZMatik as their tours progress.

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