Hippie Sabotage had The Observatory in Santa Ana going crazy on October 7th

Written by Juliana Coe

Staff Writer

Their 16th concert in LA, Hippie Sabotage had The Observatory in Santa Ana going crazy on October 7th. Hippie Sabotage’s inviting persona and plethora of music diversity kept the crowd semi-entertained throughout the night.

The two brothers hit the stage later than expected, yet still managed to make a comeback with their refreshing energy and good vibes. Hippie Sabotage performed many songs unfamiliar with fans which caused some discomfort for the audience, but made a comeback by playing some classics such as “Devil Eyes.”

Hippie Sabotage, a duo formed by two brothers Kevin and Jeff Sauer, gained attention from the media after collaborating with Elle Goulding and Tove Lo on the hit single “Stay High.” The Sacramento duo eventually hit #1 on Billboard’s Next Big Sound chart.

Hippie Sabotage jump-started their career in the early 2000’s with local producer Chase Moore, who influenced the brothers to incorporate more of a hip-hop sound into their music. After collaborating with C Plus on the hit single “Callin’ Me,” Hippie Sabotage began to diversify their music with the release of the “EP Vacants” album in 2013.

Despite the doors opening at 7 p.m. , Hippie Sabotage began the concert at around 10:45 p.m. with one of their top hits, “Devil Eyes.” The duo even invited a group of fans on-stage to dance with them. Hippie Sabotage made up for the delayed show with their attention to fans and hype music.

Hippie Sabotage strayed from their usual relaxed atmosphere and tried something new with their style of music. Since the start of their music career in the early 2000’s Hippie Sabotage has stayed within their comfort zone of music genres, so it was certainly refreshing to see the duo use their creativity to create more modern sounds.

In spite of the fact that Hippie Sabotage branched out with their genre of music, the crowd was not pleased with how different and unexpected the energy of the concert. Leading up to the Hippie Sabotage performance, the opening acts consisted of harsh rap about drugs and money which did not blend well with the band’s mellow vibe. Unfortunately, the two brothers didn’t play their usual popular songs and instead stuck with newer EDM music not yet familiar with fans. The deep house music played at the concert was quite irritating considering it is not what fans were expecting to hear.

Showing off their humble side, Hippie Sabotage spent most of their time on stage taking pictures with fans and crowd surfing. Although this showed how much Hippie Sabotage appreciated their fans, the duo spent more time with fans than they did performing which caused the crowds to push and shove in whichever direction Hippie Sabotage was standing, making the experience uncomfortable for the audience.

Even with the sudden change of music genres and delayed performance, Hippie Sabotage knows how to charm a crowd and look past the duo’s previous performing mistakes. Regardless of the late start, the duo’s infectious, cheerful nature made it hard to dislike the concert. Despite the fact Hippie Sabotage did not utilize their time on stage as they could have, they still managed to pull off a noteworthy performance.

Hippie Sabotage’s music is available on streaming platforms such as Spotify and Soundcloud as well as iTunes for $1.29 per song.