Spring Awakening Day 2 continued…
(Read about Friday and Sunday.)
Flosstradamus
After seeing the Chicago-based duo in Congress Theater a few months ago, I knew I had to catch Flosstradamus's set again. After what seemed like forever to get through the security checkpoint, I raced to the main stage just in time. Flosstradamus paid homage to their hometown with their background graphics, comprised of the Chicago flag with the Flosstradamus logo in replacement of the six-pointed stars. “Bugatti” revved up the crowd, and the duo gave a shoutout to Major Lazer by playing “Jah No Partial,” which resulted in everyone, even those standing on the stairs, to start breaking out into dance. My favorite track by Flosstradamus, “Major Recall,” made it to the set, and the trap remix of Satisfaction – no matter how many times it has been played by trap and even electro house DJs – deemed to be a crowd favorite yet again.
Nicky's set definitely kept people constantly moving on their feet. The somewhat sparse VIP section of the main stage revealed a few guys who managed to shuffle throughout the entire set without taking a break – but it wasn't hard to understand how, especially with Nicky throwing down “Symphonica,” the Tommy Trash edit of “Toulouse” and Knife Party‘s new “Lrad.” Nervo, who had just played on a different stage just a while ago, gave a surprise appearance as they joined Nicky on stage when he played “Like Home.” The Nervo twins gave a motion of bowing down to Nicky as he continued to deliver his hard and heavy beats, and it was warming to see gestures of respect among the three artists.
Wolfgang Gartner
Last year's Spring Awakening was the first time I saw Wolfgang live, and it had also been my favorite set of the weekend, not to mention my most inspiring and eventful set (which indirectly led to gettin g to meet him backstage last October). So catching his set this year was a must. Except Spring Awakening also scheduled Zeds Dead and Paul Oakenfold on the same time slot as Wolfgang. After deciding a tight and tricky dicing of time among the three sets, I started off the hour with Wolfgang. I loved that he played a lot of his own music like “Nuke” and “Space Junk” while mixing in some electro-infused rap. The stadium literally echoed with his music, and it was refreshing to hear a set that was unique to the DJ – a set that had a distinctive sound and feel that had Wolfgang Gartner written all over it – and despite the short time I spent at his set, Wolfgang yet again made it to one of my favorite sets for this year's Spring Awakening.
Rushing out (heartbreakingly) out of Wolfgang's set, I went to the brightly lit tented stage for Paul Oakenfold. After he played some Chuckie and Florence, Michael S. joined him on stage to perform a live vocal versoin of “Leaving You.” Although the crowd was smaller and the tent had a lot of moving room, the energy was still strong, as fans – those with friends and those enjoying the music solo – went all out dancing to the music.
Zeds Dead
Zeds Dead was my favorite set at Ultra this year, so I was glad to see them again, even if it was for the last bit of their set. One of my first and favorite Zeds Dead tracks – their remix of Blue Foundation's “Eyes on Fire,” got a huge crowd reaction, and the duo turned down the music to let their fans fill in the lyrics, which the fans willingly belted out. The track seamlessly blended into another one of my favorites, “Coffee Break,” and a few glovers and hula hoopers expressed themselves with their glowing light and hoop shows.
A few minutes before Bassnectar‘s set, fireworks went off above the main stage to celebrate the last set of the night. The stadium field and seats were filled up, and Bassnectar took his fans on a trip through his reverberating music and psychedelic background graphics. His remix of Jantsen's “When the Beats Drop,” as well as “One Hundred,” a remix of “Everyday I'm Hustlin” and “Day and Night” kept even the most tired ravers jumping to the beat. While his music kept the ears entertained, his graphics kept the eyes fixated, with pomeranians shooting laser beams through their eyes and graphics calmly showing butterflies flying only to flash and explode at the drop. Even through downpour of rain, fans continued to dance while being completely soaked. And with the rain adding to the experience, Saturday night came to a close.
