Multiple-day festivals are always a tricky beast to tackle, not being the best at pacing myself, day two or three can be a complex task. Sleeping in till 10 or 11 am, the first thing in order is a proper brunch and large amounts of black coffee. This year’s food trucks at Ubbi Dubbi were amazing, and the nice man with the rainbow umbrella serving fresh fruit and juice outside the Zoom Room quickly became my best friend.
After a monstrous breakfast and some much-needed relaxing on the couch, it was time for round two. My wife wasn’t feeling well, so tonight was a solo mission. Arriving a little later than I’d liked, I parked along the shack fence. [ festival hack: always park near the exit, and for God’s sake, back into your parking spot, you’ll thank me later.] I headed to the festival gates, promising myself that I would be more diversified.
Dr. Fresch glared through the main stage speakers as I stepped onto the festival grounds. I felt a pang of regret for not catching his set sooner, but I paused to enjoy it and collect my thoughts. Thirsty and yearning for more cucumber juice, I returned to the friendly vendor under the rainbow umbrella outside the Zoom Room. Meanwhile, Dead X rampaged across the stage like a wildman, energizing the crowd into a joyful frenzy.
Sunday revolved around Monstercat’s Zoom Room takeover for me. While on the go, I picked up my juice and explored a bit. I ended up on the hilltop, enjoying the lively beats of Dimension. I had never really listened to Dimension before and was pleasantly surprised. I realized I had been missing out as I danced to his infectious rhythm. I enjoy a great dance track, especially with a touch of drum and bass—Fu*k Yeah!
Lost in the moment and enjoying myself, I continued exploring. I picked up a cup of fresh fruit and settled on the grassy knoll to watch JSTJR. Although I regretted missing Yosuf’s performance, I savored my fruit with a plastic fork while observing the concertgoers wandering by. The crowd’s energy and reactions always reflect a DJ’s performance. As people moved past JSTJR’s set, many couldn’t resist dancing or grooving along the path. Some even caught a glimpse of the vibrant energy he was exuding and made a sudden turn to check out his set.
I found it truly amazing that everyone felt compelled to dance or wiggle to his infectious rhythms, regardless of who walked by. So cool! After finishing my fruit, I politely disposed of it in the trash can and headed to the artist area to reconnect with an old friend. Where is this muscular maestro? I wondered as I looked through the trailers for Lil Texas. Unable to find him, I decided to sit on the brick wall to enjoy Patrick Topping and Dombresky instead.
I’ve seen Dombresky perform once in Vegas, so I was incredibly excited about this B2B. I’ve dabbled in disco and house music, making this collaboration a dream come true. Patrick kicked off the event with an amazing vibe, while huge illuminated disco balls spun in the background on the massive LED screens. I found myself flailing my feet against the wall like a small child, unable to resist the urge to groove even from my seat. With partly cloudy skies and pleasant temperatures, this experience epitomized what life is about: enjoying the smooth rhythms of these two artists alongside thousands of others who share the same passion. The only thing lacking was my beautiful wife.
Around 8 PM, I decided to head to the back to see Inzo’s set at Dubbi’s stage. Before I left the top, I took one last walk to look for my friend Lil Texas. To my delight, I found him outside his trailer with some friends, enjoying the evening air. After a strong handshake and a big brotherly hug, we started catching up. Although we had never met in person before, it was great to finally connect face-to-face. We had been introduced years ago through a mutual friend, back when life was less chaotic.
As avid fitness enthusiasts, we often exchanged workout terminology and related topics on Instagram. Following a necessary life update and a short interview, it was time to get to work. Since I had never experienced an uptempo or hardcore set before, I decided to kick things off with the best! Dead X and I made our way to the Zoom Room together to see our friend’s performance. When we arrived backstage, Gradvedgr was finishing up his set.
Wearing his iconic black cowboy hat and grey muscle shirt, Lil Texas captured the crowd’s attention. Being a native of the metroplex, a large Texas flag waved back and forth amidst the packed audience. Fans in Lil Texas shirts clung tightly to the front of the rails at center stage. I recall the mistake I made by walking in front of the speakers during a drop… my bones shook, and my clothes trembled off my body. Woah! I quickly stepped back out of the line of fire. Jesus, that was intense!
Standing next to a tall gentleman with a trucker-like cap covering his face, I politely watched my friend’s enigmatic performance. Suddenly, Dead X barreled through the front atop Yosuf’s massive shoulders. Hyping the crowd even more, these two ran this way and that. Sneaking behind the stage occasionally to get a glimpse of a true DJ point of view, I was in awe of the energy of the crowd from this perspective. Bouldering through and ripping his shirt off mid-set, Lil Texas raged on.
Glancing at my watch and remembering I had some prior engagements early Monday morning, it was time for me to bow out. I said my goodbyes to some of my newfound friends and snuck back out toward the main gate. Inching my way through the packed crowd, I just had to stop and catch some of Fisher’s set. Screw it, I thought, that’s what black coffee’s for. The signature furry bucket hat moved this way and that. I remember a Gotye remix of “Somebody I used to know” came on, and the crowd went nuts, myself included.
Letting my spirit run free, I wiggled my tired behind out of the festival gates and started my trek back to my vehicle. I promptly drove home, and soon enough I was pulling into my driveway. Unable to get my festival high to come down, it was tough getting to bed that evening. It’s going to be a long Monday, I suppose.