Hardwell performs at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco on Sept. 24, 2022. Gary Chancer/STAFF.

SAN FRANCISCO — Hardwell spun the turntables with a lusty vigor on Saturday night at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium. The Dutch DJ was back in action, touring on his new album Rebels Never Die, after taking a multi-year hiatus away from music. And Hardwell was worth the wait.

The show kicked off with an introductory song. Prelude “Broken Mirror” was just a recording of the DJ talking about questioning his own identity. The pensive, introspective words hinted at the rebirth of the artist. The following song, “Into The Unknown,” literally invited the crowd into a new experience in progressive electronic music. Bangers like “Black Magic” and “Pacman” shook the room with boosted beats and a shaky, electrifying synthesizer. The place was already raucous, but Hardwell wanted to take it to another level.

The star DJ led a one-man spectacle and transformed the venue into a mad dance hall. Hardwell perched at center stage, surrounded by concentric matte black A-frame-shaped walls that “housed” the musician and also lit up with front-facing lights, often shining white and orange. Behind the DJ sat a large digital screen which projected green pixelated images reminiscent of “The Matrix.” During “Fucking Society,” the screen showed a green, grainy video of people shuffling about the streets in their business suits. 

Hardwell performs at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco on Sept. 24, 2022.

Hardwell was the architect of the rising beat, pumping the crowd up and screaming for everyone to put their hands in the air. Then, in concert with the drop of the beat, he released a sensory-bending display of pyrotechnics and a laser light show.

On either side of the DJ table were four machines that shot flames some 10 feet in the air. A laser show of technicolor shot beams of light into the center of the crowd while making phaser noises like the guns in “Star Wars.” Of course, the confetti started pouring down from the rafters. 

Hardwell paid homage to many great musicians. He even incorporated the crowd with an invitation to honor some of the greats.

“San Francisco, for this next song, let’s hear it for Avicii” Hardwell said before playing a remixed version of “Wake me up” by the late, great Swedish DJ. He also seamlessly wove several notable songs like Darude’s “Sandstorm” and J Balvin’s and Skrillex’s “In Da Ghetto” into his mixes, creating a dynamic that played on nostalgic hits and progressive techno to create a new sub-genre of music: Big Room Techno.

Pink Panda performs at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco on Sept. 24, 2022.

“Am I allowed to say this is the greatest city ever?” Hardwell yelled at one point.

Immediately, he played a sample of Metallica’s 1991 hit “Nothing Else Matters” and proceeded to spin a rather base, raver-version of the classic heavy metal song.

In all, the futuristic techo show was a spitting image of Jim Morrison’s prescient visions of the future of music: a lone performer with a lot of machines, tapes and electronics.

Opening act PINK PANDA rocked a giant panda head and played a loud set as the masses poured into the auditorium.