You would think that the doors of a former door factory in the heart of a small town’s industrial area would be sturdy, but the SHIFT concert, featuring talented up-and-coming artists and DJs, absolutely blew the doors off the Knockdown Center in Maspeth on Saturday night.
The concert was headlined by Brooklyn’s 23-year-old hip-hop sensation Young M.A. She was joined by fellow Brooklynites funk-rock-soul fusion quintet The Skins, Kodie Shane, Asmara of NGUZUNGUZU, Matt Sebastian of WcKids, Hitmakerchinx, HU DAT, CurlySavv & Dah Dah, MISTA MISTA IAN JAY, Dollar Bin, and Antwan Duncan and Fresh Daily. The entire event was hosted by Judnikki.
Each artist was given a short set, but they all made the most of their time on the stage, getting the audience jumping and moving. Young M.A. dazzled the crowd with her sensational beats, and The Skins got the audience rocking with some punk jams.
The 50,000-square-foot Knockdown Center comfortably held the crowd of people who migrated to the front of the stage for the show. The sound system allowed the music to fill the massive venue, from the stage, all the way to the bar area, but was never overbearing on the ears.
Speaking of the bar area, the Knockdown Center has two separate bars, one in the main section of the venue to serve concertgoers and visitors of the various arts events held throughout the year, and one inside the building’s open atrium — called the Ready Room.
The Ready Room made for the perfect place for a respite from the concert in the much larger main area, and has all the offerings of a full bar including wallet-friendly drink specials, delicious cocktails and draft beers, as well as a food menu featuring tasty roasted pepper tamales, veggie chili, chips and queso, and nachos.
The vegetarian chili — priced at $8 — was chock full of all types of beans and was served with a helping of crunchy tortilla chips to scoop the chili.
While the Ready Room is a more intimate bar, it does come fully equipped with its own DJ and small dance floor for those looking to boogie the night away.
The Knockdown Center has plenty more events slated for the end of the year. To find out more about the Knockdown Center, located at 52-19 Flushing Ave., and their various events, visit knockdown.center.
