The highly anticipated “rave” in San Francisco’s Civic Center Plaza featuring superstar DJs Fred Again.. and Skrillex came to an abrupt halt on Saturday night after the duo hit the city’s 10 p.m. sound curfew.
The English DJ and producer Fred Again.. and his American counterpart Skrillex were in the middle of a song when the audio system was shut off due to the curfew. Though the music stopped, the pair remained on stage for several minutes afterwards, waving to the massive crowd of an estimated 25,000 fans to provide a proper send-off.
The show was billed as a chance for Fred Again.. and Skrillex to test out new music they had worked on during a recent trip to Mexico. Some attendees traveled from out of town for the rare performance, which sold out shortly after being announced last week.
“This doesn’t feel like San Francisco anymore,” Skrillex, a former SF resident, remarked during the set. “I think we transported somewhere else.”
The abrupt ending capped an evening that saw the pair attempt to recreate the electric energy of an underground rave on a massive scale in downtown San Francisco. It was the latest in a series of outdoor dance music events hoping to reinvigorate the city’s nightlife as it recovers from the pandemic.
Mayor London Breed has been a supporter of bringing more nightlife and entertainment back to central San Francisco. Her administration is implementing state legislation to allow outdoor alcoholic beverage areas and is providing grants to nightlife businesses.
