Taking a look around at the crowd packing the Epic Event Center in Minneapolis, it was hard to imagine a more diverse group of concert-goers. To my left, a group of college aged guys stood around, nervously yelling at each other and fiddling with their glow sticks. To my right, a group of Armani-clad couples stood sipping their expensive drinks. Immediately in front of me was a sea of spiky-haired guys and girls, their mouths glowing, shamelessly hiding their dilated pupils behind ridiculous retro sunglasses. This is a typical scene for the show's headliner, the most innovative group in Psy-Trance, Infected Mushroom.

The show opened with a surprisingly talented act, DJ Hardkornate. The opener pounded the club with relentless beats, turning Epic into a rave reminiscent of the club scene from the first Matrix. Hardkornate's act was shockingly fluid and consistent, a rare occurrence for an opening act. It was a pleasant surprise and served as the perfect pre-game to Infected Mushroom's two-hour set.

"The opener pounded the club with relentless beats, turning Epic into a rave reminiscent of the club scene from the first Matrix."

After Hardkornate left the stage, the curtains closed and the club went quite. Suddenly, a massive inflatable mushroom appeared from behind the curtain, and dark shadowy figures were seen moving about behind the curtain. A minute of anticipatory glee later, the curtain fell, exposing Amit “Duvdev” Duvedevani and Erez Eisen, the founders of Infected Mushroom. Since this was a live set, they were joined by drummer Rogerio Jardim and tour guitarist Tommy Cunningham. The addition of electric guitar to the band's set was disconcerting for some fans, but Cunningham is incredibly talented and the addition really makes the show that much more interesting and sonically diverse.

Infected rocked Epic with a few classics from their studio albums, with the highlight being “Cities of the Future”. Duvdev really got the whole crowd into the show. His energy made the whole place light up and everything about his individual performance showed just how devoted he is to his fans and the band's music. He didn't miss a single note throughout the show, and his voice and stage presence made the show what it was.

Infected played a couple of songs from their mysteriously untitled upcoming album, which is supposed to be available in May of this year. These songs had a different sound to them, something very faint and unexplainable but with a definite new edge to it. The band finished off their crowd-pleasing two-hour set with an awesome encore. They left the stage only after shaking hands with the crowd and signing autographs for 15 minutes after the show was over.

"His energy made the whole place light up and everything about his individual performance showed just how devoted he is to his fans and the band's music."

Overall, Infected put on quite a show here in Minneapolis. Everything was perfect, from the venue to the crowd. Epic has quite an impressive layout, with plenty of room and amazing visuals that tantalize the senses. Infected plays again in Miami at the Ultra Music Festival, which is looking more and more like the concert of the year for those of us here in the States. Again, an amazing show from Infected Mushroom.