Jauz performing Sunday March 22, 2015 at the Phoenix Lights music festival. (Photo courtesy of Stefan Kostaras)
The Phoenix Lights music festival brought an alien-themed showcase of electronic dance music to Civic Space Park in downtown Phoenix on Sunday. As is the case with any music event of this scale, there were too many crazy moments to count. For those who missed the show, I'm sorry. Here are the five best things seen at the Phoenix Lights music festival.
5. Jauz
The Los Angeles up and comer replaced Robin Schulz on the bill after he surprisingly dropped off the show. However, there were no disappointed fans in the crowd after the DJ delivered a crushing set filled with everything from groovy house beats to a Riff Raff remix of “Tip Toe Wing In My Jawwdinz.” Jauz also played a new track, a collaboration between him and the electronic dance music poster boy Skrillex. You bet your ass the crowd went wild.
4. The People
Going to an EDM festival is like opening up a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get. But maybe a “Forrest Gump” reference isn’t the best way to describe the crowd at Phoenix Lights.
There is a specific vibe found within people that love EDM, and it can’t be experienced anywhere else. Some live and die by the common rave motto PLUR (Peace, Love, Unity and Respect), and others are there to dance for as long as their tired bodies will let them.
At pop shows, there are pretentious snobs that will endlessly judge you from their perfect box seats. Metal concerts might have you leaving with a broken nose. The worst an EDM festival has is the occasional shirtless bro. Nearly every other person at Civic Space Park had a positive attitude, making the energy at the festival a force unrivaled by any other type of crowd.
3. The Parents
Hats off to the moms and dads that braved the heat and took their underage children to this loud and booming concert experience. One mother couldn’t handle the crowd, moving from her prime spot close to the stage after realizing what it feels like to be a sardine packed in a can with thousands of sweaty Millennials breathing down her back.
There were other middle-aged couples that must have heard there was a festival in downtown Phoenix and decided to pay $100 because they had nothing better to do. The look on their faces throughout the show was nothing but pure culture shock.
The music and wild energy of the crowd surely looked like a new planet to someone who had no previous knowledge of the EDM world. Still, I caught one hip dad grooving to the beat with his wife. There is still hope for the baby boomers after all.
2. Hardwell
The world’s No. 1 DJ lived up to his title with a set filled with booming crowd favorites and heavier tracks that ripped through the speakers across the crowd. It was the moment everyone was waiting for and the Dutch DJ didn’t disappoint. His opening synth riff of “Eclipse” brought new life into the tired crowd and he never stopped from there, showing off his mastery of the turntables and closing a truly epic festival.
1. Zeds Dead After Party
While this wasn’t technically a part of the Phoenix Lights festival, it was still the most intimate and exciting part of the night. As Hardwell ended his set and fans flooded out of Civic Space Park, Zeds Dead took the stage at the Monarch Theatre in downtown Phoenix.
The EDM superstars are known for playing to tens of thousands of people at some of the biggest festivals in the world. To see them bring their piercing breed of dubstep to a small-size venue like the Monarch was an experience worth staying up all night for.
Even Hardwell stopped by, though his entourage made it quite difficult to get anywhere near him. Fans that made it through the festival and also went to the after party should have been tired. But Zeds Dead know how to work a room and made everyone in the building feel just as alive as the beginning of the day.
Honorable Mention: The RB Deep stage was a dream for house music lovers and should be mentioned. It featured acts like Second City, Route 94 and other DJs including local artists. If you needed a break from the crowd, this was the place to go.
Reach the arts editor at jhgolds2@asu.edu or follow @mister_jgold on Twitter.
Like The State Press on Facebook and follow @statepress on Twitter.
