It’s 12:30 AM on a Saturday night and I’m lying in bed next to a naked brunette. About two more winks into slumber I receive a text stating that our entire team designated to cover Marcus Schossow at Webster Hall caught a bug, leaving me responsible to review. Do I wanna get out of bed right now? F*ck no. But an all access pass has its merits so I assemble my weary ass to duty.

I make my way to the Grand Ballroom’s greenroom and lock eyes with the last red bull at the mini bar. Score. The boost is exactly what I need to get on par with the energy in this room. From where I stand Schossow is being interviewed on the couch, On Air via Sirius XM Radio, as his young manager is anxiously trying to clear the space of fans and groupies so his champion can have some breathing room.

On the main stage just below the greenroom Visionaire is giddily smashing his set with a cast of neon clad half-naked dancers jiggling to “Riverside.” The headliner hasn’t even come on yet and the crowd is already amped up to a point that some fans are climbing above one another to catch a better view.

Somehow, I’m still tired. So I make my way downstairs in the hope that some bass will power me up. Enter the BASSment with its colorful crowd and bleeding subs. Imported talent Jakes delivers fresh UK cuts on the system and the die hard bass freaks are lapping it up. I toss myself in a mosh pit for a slap in the face but get a pinch on my ass instead. A blue haired nympho on the pits outskirts gives me a slutty smile. I run upstairs before the story ends at me testing positive for herpes.

The right move, as I land right into the heat of Schossow’s set. He’s sweating buckets on stage as the crowd is chanting to the hook of Reload, which cues my second wind. For the remainder of the hour I’m leveled with this animated crowd as Schossow guides us into Swedish house heaven. Blissful melodies paired with rattling drops seemed to carry the crowd on a wave of euphoria, with every familiar transition providing cheers. He suddenly drops his remix of Icona Pop's "Just Another Night" to adulated responses from the crowd, solidifying in this one moment how this is so much more than "another night" for these adoring fans. A big congrats on your NYC headlining milestone Marcus, I'm certainly glad I got out of bed for you.

- Nick AM