Day Two.
After a hearty breakfast and some much-needed rest, we were ready for day two! Although we weren’t out super late, it still took a couple of hours to get our bearings from dancing and running around the night before. We dropped my little man off at Grandma’s house and headed toward downtown. We’ll slide right in and catch Crankdat, we thought…
Obviously, everyone had the same plan as we did because the parking lot was jam-packed. We raced through the gates and made our way inside to the Metroplex stage to catch the tail end of Crankdat before GRiZ came on. With my wife leading the charge, we barged toward the front. Typically, she doesn’t like being crammed in toward the front, but her love for GRiZ quickly overcame that. Leading our small train of three people, we made our way toward the front, to the left of the stage.
Show Love, Spread Love.
Firmly in a good position, it was time for the show! GRiZ most certainly did not disappoint. Of course, his hour-long set was packed with nothing but absolute bangers! He tore through his new Tape B collab featuring Creg, blasted that monstrous sax intro with his WOOLI track, and of course, he brought out the Levity Boys since they were in the building for their collab together! I think one of my favorites of the night was when he brought out Grabbitz for his “Deep Blue Water” ballad. Sometimes you hear these tracks during their set at various shows and events, but it’s always extra special when the other artist of the collab is playing the same festival, and they bring them on stage to perform them. Their radiant energy, combined with the massive lasers and pyro, lit up the crowd with love. There’s nothing quite like a GRiZ set, and this one was no exception to the rule!
After GRiZ, we stepped outside for some air and sat perched next to an old oak tree for a smoke break. Seared to the earth with the others, we sat for a while and enjoyed the tunes in the crisp night air with our small three-person group. Dennett and OkayJake were getting weird in the background. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing them both live separately before, so this B2B was a perfect match by the promoters! Sometime during Grabbitz’s set, we decided to fight with the food line again. We enjoyed some delicious food from one of the food trucks, then I had to pee…
When I came out of the restroom, my group was nowhere to be found. I stood for a bit, almost in a panic, then I remembered our rendezvous spot in case we got split up, the Old Oak Tree! I found my way back through the crowd only to find my wife and brother-in-law sitting there, eating the rest of his French fries. He finished his fries, and then we stood up and made the toughest decision of the night, Wreckno at the Lonestar or Levity at the Metroplex. Enjoying the night air, we decided to make our way over to Wreckno, as she was just setting up. What an amazing decision it was.
The Wooks come out at night!
I’ve seen Wreckno at other festivals and events, but this set was different… It was dark, sexy, and hypnotic. It was weird and groove-laden, exactly what we needed to ring in the new year. “In through the out door,” I thought. The bossy bass lines loomed overhead in the trees as the crowd swayed this way and that. Bostirous hip-hop undertones commanded the crowd’s attention as this Diva showed Dallas exactly who’s Boss. This set oozed confidence and a wub-like swagger I’ve never witnessed before. Something about the side stage just hits different. My mind was thoroughly blown by Wreckno’s hypnotic performance. As the set drew to an end, I craved for more…
Then came TVBOO. It was hard to tell where one set ended and the other began. Picking up on Wreckno’s hypnotic vibes, TVBOO was underway. It was time for the Wooks to dance in the moonlight! I couldn’t have thought of a better way to ring in 2026 than getting weird with TVBOO with my two favorite people. Starting with his NASCAR-style intro, the magic was underway. He ripped through several of his hits from his latest LP and collabs with other artists, but I think the coolest part of the whole set was how he did the New Year’s countdown. “Sweet Caroline… BA BA BA! Good times never seemed so good!” The crowd screamed the lyrics to the Neil Diamond classic at full force as TVBOO orchestrated the 10-second countdown to 2026.
The good times never seemed so good.
After a roar of cheering and a big ole fat kiss to my wife, we were safely into the new year. Sitting along the fence line, we enjoyed the rest of TVBOO’s set. After it was over, we decided to venture inside and check out all the cool vendor set-ups. Part of the magic of these festivals isnt just the music. We strolled along the walls eyeing the merch, and wandering in and out of various vendors’ tents, checking out all the cool clothes and tapestries. We stopped for a moment to admire a Man doing a live painting right in the middle of the madness. The bass boomed loudly in the Disco room as his delicate brush strokes grazed the canvas. It was quite impressive, the precision and focus this man had, painting right in the middle of a rave like this.
We watched for a while, enjoying Matroda’s and Chris Lorenzo’s tunes booming in the background, before deciding to call this little lady a night. Words can’t fully express the gratitude I feel for such an incredible experience once again. There’s nothing quite like losing yourself in the music while celebrating another rotation around the sun with your best mates.
