Pot of Gold fans stand in front of the second stage to listen to Boston duo, Aer on March 14, 2015 at Tempe Beach Park. (Ryan Santistevan/ The State Press)At 12:30 p.m. Saturday, the gates of Tempe Beach Park opened and engulfed 20,000 fans. The 80-degree temperature did not discourage anyone, but it definitely felt like it was summer at day two of the Pot of Gold music festival.
Between sets of bands unknown to people, there were tents and trucks vending items such as rings, bags and graphic shirts. Buffalo exchange was there alongside ASU's radio station, The Blaze.
The line-up for bands was unique in that there were two stages and after each set, the next would be on the opposite set. Those who were dedicated and equipped enough would station themselves at stage one for the majority of the day to be at the front to experience Kendrick Lamar.
The day started off right with Aer. The Boston duo livened up the heat stricken audience. Singer Carter Schultz flashed his abs to the crowd while dancing as bandmate David von Mering melted the audience with his smile. Both brought energy to everyone within the venue.
Check out our Pot of Gold preview profile of AER!
The unique medley of hip-hop and soulful music by Grieves was unfortunately not praised as much as it should have been. Thousands of people were hunting for the smallest of shade, instead of watching him perform.
Tribal Seeds had to follow up Aer on the second stage and did a great job. They were not the only reggae band featured at Pot of Gold, but the group's drive and rock vibe was greatly appreciated by new and dedicated fans of the festival.
Hoodie Allen expressed his interest of the Sun Devils as he asked the crowd about ASU and its rival, Arizona. He even insulted the school before playing his song, "Dumb For You."
"Those motherf---- are dumb," Allen said.
Boston duo Aer composed of Carter Schultz (left) along with David von Mering (right) dance around the stage at the Pot of Gold music festival on March 14, 2015 at Tempe Beach Park. (Ryan Santistevan/ The State Press).Not only did he rile up the Sun Devils in the audience but he had everyone jumping and having a good time. Toward the end, Allen picked up a cake and threw it into the crowd, creating good vibes and a distraction from the scorching temperature.
The Dirty Heads, to put it simply, rocked the stage. Clouds of marijuana floated in the air. This didn't help with the many people who were dying of dehydration as security was leaning over the barricade to pour water into the mouths of dedicated fans.
As the sun went down, the heat was more intense as bodies of people pushed together with barely an inch of personal space.
Slightly Stoopid was anything but stupid as they played a nearly perfect set. If the band's lyrics did not entertain the crowd, its light show sure did a great job.
Many people from the beginning of the day screamed to their friends about how excited they were to hear Schoolboy Q take the stage.
Strategically, Schoolboy Q and Kendrick Lamar were on two different stages for their sets. Before starting Schoolboy Q's set, he showed his appreciation to the crowd by explaining how rappers are nothing without their fans, putting on quite a show in the process.
Finally, the night ended with a bang as Kendrick Lamar hit the stage. The level of anticipation turned to infinite dance and fun from the time he stepped into the spotlight to when he left the stage.
No vibes were killed at Lamar's party, however, a huge amount of people oddly left in the middle of his set.
If you didn't attend Pot of Gold on Saturday, you definitely missed out, but there's still time to attend day four of the music festival, featuring bands such as Korn and Godsmack.
Reach the reporter at ryan.santistevan@asu.edu or follow @ryanerica18 on Twitter.
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Due to a reporting error, a previous version of this story misidentified Aer members David von Mering and Carter Schultz. It has since been updated.
