Photos by Keifer Lambert
It’s a difficult time for seniors at UCLA. The impending date of graduation draws closer and closer, we’re fending off questions from anxious parents, balancing our dreams with our need for a paycheck…and somehow, there’s always homework to do.
As naive freshmen interrogate us on our plans after college and jaded alumni wearily sigh that this is the last time we’ll ever be truly happy, we need a moment of respite…someone to show us that we’ve only just started living our lives. And that someone is John Walter Schuster, better known as the one and only, John Summit.
Five years ago, John Summit’s office was a financial building in downtown Chicago. Today, it’s the Kia Forum. After playing marathon sets at EDC, Coachella, Madison Square Garden and more, Summit shows us that life doesn’t stop after school.
Towering above the crowd in a dominating rhombus stage, John Summit took the Kia Forum by storm this weekend, delivering a dynamic and transformative performance that showcased his growth as an artist and his willingness to push boundaries. Known for his melodic and cathartic house music, Summit brought a fresh and unexpected energy to the stage, weaving in harder-hitting drum and bass and even a taste of techno. He’s had two years of skyrocketing growth and has partnered with artists from all around the world, learning more and more from each of them.
The result? A set that felt both comfortingly familiar and exhilaratingly new.
One of the highlights of the night was Summit’s exploration of drum and bass, a direction he hinted at with his track “Resonate.” The crowd erupted as he seamlessly blended the high-intensity beats with his signature emotional touch. This interplay of cathartic melodies and driving rhythms created a unique, electrifying atmosphere. Summit also added a drum and bass twist to his fan-favourite track “Shiver,” demonstrating his ability to reinvent his hits in a way that kept the audience on their toes.
However, that wasn’t the only experimentation on display. Summit’s dive into techno was another thrilling development, as evidenced by the pounding energy of “Eat the Bass.” These harder, more intense moments balanced beautifully with the melodic house sound that first earned him his following, proving that Summit is unafraid to bridge genres and expand his musical palette.
The concert felt like a culmination of a year of learning, growing, and experimenting for Summit. His setlist reflected this journey, featuring fresh remixes of classics and popular tracks like “Gas Pedal,” “It Girl,” Lana Del Rey’s “Summertime Sadness,” and Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck Babe”. My personal favourite? Summit’s version of “I Love Kanye”, playfully renamed “I Miss the Old Summit”.
What made the night truly special was seeing Summit’s evolving artistry. He’s diving headfirst into hardcore techno while still honouring the melodic roots that have defined his sound. This delicate balance of the old and the new, the melodic and the intense, made the performance feel deeply personal yet universally resonant.
By the end of the night, it was clear: John Summit isn’t just riding the wave of dance music —he’s shaping it. Fans left the Kia Forum buzzing, not just from the full-blown production, but from the sense of witnessing an artist at the peak of his creative exploration.
So seniors, here is my final note to you…we may be at the beginning of the end of our college careers, but who knows where we’ll be 10 years from now? A Big 4 accountant at 25, a global DJ at 30…John Summit shows us that as one chapter closes another one opens. What a Life!
