Fresh after appearing on the cover of Elektro’s second issue, the electronic scene suffered a bittersweet moment when Swedish House Mafia announced that they would be embarking on one last farewell tour back in June. Steve Angello, Sebastian Ingrosso and Axwell decided that they had reached the highest star in the stratosphere and it is now time to go on solo journeys.

The final tour, naturally titled “One Last Tour” made it’s way to the famous Chicago arena, the United Center, for the first and last time in the city that is one of the many reasons for what house music has evolved into today. As it approached 8:00 pm on a Wednesday night, many excited young ravers and seasoned Swedish House Mafia fans alike began to pile in the massive venue. Chicago/Detroit based DJ/producer Anthony Attalla hit the decks at first, setting the mood with some deep house that rocked the dancefloor with hypnotic beats for a solid penetrating set.

After Attalla got faces nice and sweaty and the blood pumping, more colorful fans donning plenty of Swedish House Mafia attire started to fill up the arena. As the general admission dancefloor area became standing room only status, I knew it was about to be time. Soon, the curtain dropped and a massive illuminated DJ setup revealed the larger-than-life trio, and the last time Chicagoans would get to see Swedish House Mafia began.

They started off with pumping out an amped of version of their hit “Greyhound” through the amazing sound system of the United Center sending the crowd into a frenzy. Their close to two hour set was nothing less than completely epic, with them cranking out their career hits, as well some set favorites. A mashed up version of “Harder, Better , Faster, Stronger” collided with “Leave the World Behind” for an infectious creation, and things only got better from there.

An excited crowd bellowed along to “Calling (Losing My Mind)” as well as “Epic”, but no sing along was as heartfelt as their remix of “Every Teardrop is A Waterfall” when they dropped it. I even found myself singing (badly) to it at the top of my lungs. An American flag with the words “Chicago” came on the monitor of their DJ display, and the beginning to Don’t You Worry Child began, sending the entire arena into a massive mob of happiness. Sparks, balloons, and fire sent illuminated all of the senses and after they dropped “Save the World”, the two hour set was over and Swedish House Mafia gave their final bows.

I turned around to see smiling faces and even tears, as we realized this was a moment to cherish. We Came, We Raved, We Loved.

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