One of the hardest things to do after dancing, jumping, and headbanging for three hours on end is to find the energy to do it for several more hours. Keeping a spot at the front barricade of a rave proves to be arduous, but it can be done while still enjoying every minute.
Starting at 9 p.m. ET and running until the morning, Animal Jamz 2 is another go of a show from February that got shut down by police for venue issues. Some scheduled artists didn't have the opportunity to play, leading most to reunite on May 2nd and do things properly.
I got in line an hour before doors opened, watching group after group appear with drastically different styles. Given that the night's entire roster of artists were furries, the audience was correspondingly very expressive of their interests with internet-centric clothing, animal adornments, and, of course, fursuits.
Vast expressivity and audience energy
The community's acceptance of each other was further noticeable once I got inside. There was an 8-stall all-gender restroom both downstairs and upstairs. Vendors surrounding the bar sold various furry stickers, pins, and CDs, including one offering exclusively Russelbuck merchandise.
I had about 10 minutes to browse the selections before a rising bass filled the whole venue, reverberating through my chest and nearly deafening me. This turned out to be the start of a song, with Purityleech and DJ Supermonkeyball appearing on stage and beginning the show.
The two artists combined have less than 40 minutes of music on Spotify, so their hour-long set was expected to have surprises. They switched back and forth between a control board and a laptop in the center of the stage, playing hard-hitting and energetic EDM tracks while a few others danced on stage.
Everyone was still getting warmed up since they were the opening act, but their performance still had a ton of bouncy vibes that set the stage for DjX, who replaced Nana.kr between the first and second Animal Jamz.
Stage presences were well-arranged
DjX had the most choreographed set of the night, honing in on controls and tuning everything to perfect beat drops while interacting with planned interludes such as a pretend phone call. The headbanging during this set was so intense that the barricade got pushed against the stage, and security gave us a limit on where it could reach.
Following this was Enable Secret, who stayed true to their name with an entirely concealing outfit, backlighting, and text-to-speech narration rather than using the on-stage microphone. Fully in a dancing mood, it was easy to go crazy to songs like Femtanyl's "P3T."
At this point, exhaustion started kicking in. I witnessed people previously beside me disappear throughout the night, so I held onto the railing to keep my spot. I tried to gather myself with the small water bottle I had in my pocket, but it only marginally satisfied my hunger.
Fourth in the night was a set by Mewni and iPawd, which I unfortunately remember very little of due to weariness. Nearing the end of the rave's third hour, though, Russelbuck joined the duo onstage, which was met with roaring applause from the audience.
An hour-long shot of adrenaline
Considering that Russelbuck is the sole reason I bought a ticket for the night, my excitement completely overwhelmed my fatigue when he appeared. The set fittingly began with a track from RAVEPOP, his newest album that topped Bandcamp's pop charts upon release in 2024.
After the opening, he moved into some covers, including Charli XCX, Britney Spears, the peanut butter jelly song, and Panic! at the Disco. After the concert, the latter mix was announced on X as a future single.
While these played out, a dance circle formed near the middle of the pit, where someone successfully pulled off the worm. In the back half of his hour, Russelbuck played some more originals from the new album and made everyone bounce off the walls for each one.
The set ended with the live debut of a remix for "b-b-BASS DOWN LOW," his current most-popular song (for a good reason), which is part of an upcoming remix album. Accepting that I needed to rest, I finally left the barricade and grabbed food.
Concluding the night
The sixth artist was Ian Starr, with the overall time turning 1 AM at their set start. The selection of mixes here was pretty chaotic and lively, including one of Drake's "6 Man." For this portion, I danced with the people around me, freely jumping, twisting, and whatnot.
Tracey Brakes performed the final set of the night with DJ PuppyWuppy, but I didn't catch very much of it as I went to the gas station across the corner with some new friends. Instant bonds are fun, and there probably isn't a better place to make those connections than a rave where everyone is themselves.
Most of the Animal Jamz 2 lineup has no future shows announced at this moment. Conversely, Russelbuck will play at Price Center West, San Diego, on May 25th as the 16th stop of the Ravepop Tour, which has so far spanned the United States, Canada, and Germany.