If you ever doubted the power of one person to electrify an entire room, you clearly haven’t seen Bob Rifo — aka The Bloody Beetroots — live in action. Under a sparkling disco ball ceiling with strobes and a haze of neon, Bob delivered a night that felt like a time capsule for all of us club rats from decades prior. The Fonda in LA was consumed by Bob, his infamous mask, his beats, and his bursting energy amongst a sea of glowing fans who came ready to dance like it was 2009.
Between Bob’s jumps and the crowd’s jumps, the energy inside the venue was undeniably off the charts. He matched every flash and flicker with raw intensity behind the decks. Fans armed with glow sticks and unfiltered excitement pulsed with unity. People who came with friends re-lived their past nostalgia together, while those who came alone met new friends to rock the night away with. It wasn’t your typical show — it felt like a shared memory unfolding in real time.
However, what made this night special wasn’t just the music — it was the atmosphere. There was no pushing, no egos, no drama — just people fully present and buzzing with positive energy. Strangers danced together like old friends, and for a few hours, we all existed in an oddly reminiscent moment outside of time.
For those who hadn’t seen The Bloody Beetroots before were in for a real treat once Bob’s infectious energy went into full blast. Bob vaulted on and off the deck and stage with incredible air that even made my late-30s back hurt just watching. At one point, he made his way into the crowd to bond with fans and get up close and personal. That Bloody Beetroots energy was pure, magnetic chaos — exactly what we had hoped for. As the night went on, he invited what felt like half the venue onto the stage. The stage bowed like a rubber band as fans lived it up — luckily everyone (and everything) was in one piece afterwards. The venue staff may have been sweating bullets, but the fans were in paradise.
There was something beautiful in the way the night channeled both a “now and then” feel. Tracks like the ever-iconic “Warp 1.9” (featuring Steve Aoki) hit with the same punch they did in our party-all-night era, prompting knowing glances and smirks between longtime fans as one casual crowd-goer yelled, “THIS IS HIS SONG?!” So many of us had the pleasure of The Bloody Beetroots as a part of our life soundtrack, particularly in the late 2000s and early 2010s. What made DJs like Bob and Steve Aoki stand out was their collaborative uniqueness and the broad spectrum of genres and artists who teamed up to build this legacy over the years.
The Bloody Beetroots’ newest collaboration “Killing Punk” with Bob Vylan is a gritty, punk-inflected banger — a reminder that Bob hasn’t stopped evolving, and still honors the wide variety of sounds that put him on the map and kept us wanting more.
In a world full of overly polished and predictable DJ set performances, The Bloody Beetroots gave us something real. Bob didn’t just play to the crowd — he was part of the crowd. The moment he hopped into the crowd, he reminded us why we fell in love with the beet in the first place: the kind of joy you feel deep in your bones and the gift that allows us to let loose and live carefree for those few hours.
GALLERY: The Bloody Beetroots at The Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles (April 25, 2025)
