EDC Chicago [Recap]

Posted on May 30, 2013 in Events, Reviews

 

“If you don’t care about the rain and just want to party… Chicago, make some noise!”

- Quintino

 

But not too much noise. Electric Daisy Carnival’s first trip the midwest was wet, wild, and apparently far too loud. The City of Joliet (where the festival was technically located) received noise complaints from over 10 miles away in Mokena and some neighbors described the bass as “pounding a hammer in your head” according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The Insomniac event brought in approximately 65,000 people over the course of the three-day holiday weekend - a modest number not terribly shocking due to the fact that the average low temperature was a record-threatening 40 degrees, it was rainy, and the first year the Chicagoland Speedway hosted the event. There were many incredible performances, but not all artists escaped cleanly. This is our firsthand take on EDC Chicago 2013.

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Day One

I arrived at the festival later in evening and quickly made myself familiar with the surrounding Mega Drop, bumper cars, and stage arrangements. True to the Midwest, there was a slight farm smell, likely from the straw that covered the wet ground in an effort to keep people from sinking into the mud. This was effective enough, but I quickly learned my white jeans were a bad choice.

Eventually, I made it to Gabriel & Dresden (click on artist to download set) at the Circuit Grounds. This was the second biggest stage which sat next to a giant glowing assortment of electronic flowers and stomp-activated neon light pads which doubled as a hang out. The duo riled up the crowd with a remix of “Mr. Brighteyes” and then Empire of the Sun followed with an amazing broadway-style performance which was easily the most elaborately choreographed of the weekend. This was definitely refreshing and the duo was one of the most, if not the most, distinct of the festival.

Above & Beyond played next (good stage, right?), opening with the gorgeous nostalgia of their own “Small Moments Like These”. However, any tears shed during the intro were blown into oblivion by the rage fest that followed. They also found time to rip Will.i.am to much applause by playing Arty and Mat Zo’s “Rebound”, the song Will.i.am borrowed without permission, while the digital board read “This is the new single from Will.i.am (not)”.

By 3am, the adrenaline (Headhunterz) hit me, and I ended the night with an excellent set by Danny Avila which deserved more audience than remained by the early morning hour. If anything, Avila can now add waking people up 10 miles away to his resume.

 

Day Two

Saturday was much busier and felt more like EDC. Unfortunately, Insomniac was forced to turn down the volume by 33% according to the Chicago Sun-Times. This was noticeable for the bigger performances, but the bass was still booming.

Tittsworth was the right guy to draw the early crowd into the cold drizzle. Digital flames licked the Bass Pod as he unleashed a dance party of hip-hop infused bass, multiplying his audience throughout the set. Tritonal brought a large Circuit Grounds crowd into an all-out frenzy as they let a new single go “straight out of the studio”. By the time Cazzette stepped on the same stage, skies had cleared. The Swedish duo brought the most gifts of any performer as they graced us with their new Kryder collabo (as discussed in our interview), a “special bootleg”, and a well-dressed Alexander Björklund jumping onto the podium, engaging the crowd with a heavy accent, and going crazy when the beat dropped.

But if anyone was to nourish the party-hungry crowd, you know it was Hardwell. His set contained the most sing-alongs of the event assisted by remixes of White Stripes and Kid Cudi. The audience also received their 5-minutes of fame as Hardwell filmed the music video for his W&W collabo. A scarf-clad Benny Benassi then piggy-packed off an Avicii crowd, but didn’t really need any help as he closed his set to fireworks and a trapped “Satisfaction” remix.

 

Day Three

Here’s where things became interesting… … The final day kicked off with a crazy dance party at the fantastical Wide Awake Art Car by means of Nimbin & Humbin’s fat beats. Learning from my no-longer-white-jeans debacle from earlier in the weekend, I was moving well in the rain in my shorts and hoodie. Quintino took note of the weather on the main Kinetic Field stage yelling out, “If you don’t care about the rain and just want to party… Chicago, make some noise!” Everyone obliged to no one’s surprise.

Borgore, now on performance number two (he performed the day before as well), insisted once again that people toss off their sweaters as he performed his new single with Schoolboy and rapped out “Legend”. Not only did most sweaters stay on, but rain ponchos cloaked many as light beams sparkled in the now heavy precipitation… … High Contrast was put in the awkward position of playing to those that Dirtyphonics said “survived” their “mosh”, but transitioned beautifully starting out with bass-heavy swag before easing into more traditional, soul-soaked DnB. And then it was time for the highly anticipated Bloody Beetroots… …

Oh The Bloody Beetroots… … Now well into a cold, drenching downpour, The Bloody Beetroots opened to a smaller but excited crowd at the Circuit Grounds stage, but it didn’t take long to tell something was wrong. Technicians ran around on stage as it became clear the microphone and guitar weren’t working. Songs didn’t sound full. A drum solo killed a good few minutes as the stage hands searched for a solution, and the two constantly wiped down cords and equipment. Only in the last 20 minutes or so did it seem to make much of a difference as the weather finally claimed a musical victim. But as much of a technical disaster as it was, The Bloody Beetroots kept the crowd rocking, covering nicely with highly engaging energy. The set ended with Sir Bob Cornelius Rifo thanking the audience with a laugh and telling it like it was - “fucking rain”.

Hours after it began, the rain finally subsided in time for Sebastian Ingrosso’s festival finale on the main Kinetic Field stage. And what a finale it was. Even with the lack of solid ground, he lifted an enormous crowd into the air, song after song, with masterful builds that led to devastating drops. The ice-encapsuled, mud-battered audience was completely enraptured by back-to-back Swedish House Mafia anthems, and EDC Chicago raged to a close.

 

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My white jeans are in critical condition, I’m sleep deprived, and probably not writing as clearly as I should be because of it. But there were so many great performances, new friends made, and memorable moments that I wouldn’t trade the experience for the world.

It wouldn’t be true to say the show went without a hitch, but much like The Bloody Beetroots, EDC Chicago weathered the storm. Ummet Ozcan & W&W’s “The Code”, and Carnage & Borgore’s “Incredible” seemed to be on heaviest rotation throughout the weekend, and Daft Punk did manage to get some play, even if nobody was “getting lucky” as Swanky Tunes dropped “Around the World” (the crowd didn’t seem to mind of course).

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the City of Joliet (not necessarily the residents) and Insomniac want the festival to return. As lame as it may have seemed, complying with noise reduction requests will put EDC Chicago in a better negotiating position for 2014 - something made all the more important with the future of EDC Vegas in question. With plenty of room to grow in the Chicagoland Speedway, EDC has plenty of potential in the Midwest.

*All available sets from EDC Chicago can be downloaded here. **Photographs by Anders (featured photo and those watermarked ICGYH), and Erik Kabik.

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