https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hvrp6puFsuk
I was at the Manchester International Festival earlier this week when DJ Yoda played a headlining set in the Festival Square. There were people of all ages at the festival dancing along to mixes of classics of all types: rock, northern soul, hip-hop, Britpop, television themes, you name it. But nothing got the crowd going more than when he kicked into a remix of “A Thousand Miles” by Vanessa Carlton. I was nearly bowled over by a guy wearing a denim jacket featuring a giant Dead Kennedys patch. He was belting out the words like they were the most meaningful thing he had ever heard.
All this to say, millenial soft rock is here and it’s ready to take over the dance floors at festivals all over the world. What’s the biggest millenial soft rock song of all? Honestly, probably “My Heart Will Go On,” but surely the one that’s taken the most derision over the years has been “Crash Into Me” by former Nickelback titleholder Dave Matthews Band. Here, Steve Aoki and Darren Criss reclaim the tune as the floor filling banger it was always meant to be. It’s fun, easy to sing along to, and a harbinger of a future where we’re all wearing punk rock gear singing Vanessa Carlton at the top of our lungs.