This past weekend, I was lucky enough to attend all three days (June 10-June 12) of Spring Awakening’s 5th year anniversary music festival. As big of an event it is, I had never attended SAMF so I was pretty excited to hit up Addams/Medill park for the EDM fest. A number of huge names in the EDM world had sets along with some up and coming artists, but nonetheless they all put on an impressive show that kept the crowd dancing throughout the weekend. I am so happy I got to witness some of the most influential DJs/producers live and be introduced to some dope ass DJs.
With that being said, their were some pretty memorable moments of the weekend, but just to name a few…. check out my favorite moments from Spring Awakening 2016 down below.
Deadmau5 Closing Day 1
“Ghosts N Stuff” x @deadmau5 #SAMF ? pic.twitter.com/QFgy7BibXY
— Pursuit of Dopeness (@PursuitDopeness) June 14, 2016
Day 1 of SAMF was hell of an overwhelming day. With getting familiar with the setup, being in long lines, and dealing with with 95+ degree weather, there was a variety of emotions running through the air. But throughout all of the chaos, the acts definitely made everything worth it. Finishing up the hectic day by listening to Deadmau5’s set was greatly needed. As soon as the Canadian native stepped foot on stage, wearing his icnonic mouse head, the crowd instantly went insane. He showcased his Electro/Progressive House sound as he played a mix of his self-produced tracks. Deadmau5 was an amazing act to close day 1 of the fest and his sound definitely stood out from the others, which is why he is one of my top moments from SAMF.
Hippie Sabotage’s Set
Who caught @HippieSabotage at @SpringAwakeFest this past Saturday ? ? pic.twitter.com/uzoGE5Gc20
— Pursuit of Dopeness (@PursuitDopeness) June 14, 2016
Hippie Sabotage is by far one of my favorite electronic collectives, so there were no words to express how stoked I was to see the duo live. They were the first act I saw on Saturday and they were, without a doubt, a great kick off to day 2. The brotherly duo incorporated their hip-hop mixes along with their self-produced tracks like “Your Soul” and of course their hit Tove Lo remix (and one of my favorite tracks ever) of “Stay High”. Their whole set was lit and their interaction with the crowd made it that much more special. They closed off their set by having the crowd chant “F*ck Donald Trump!!” followed by showcasing their newest track titled “Bob Dylan”.
Experiencing The Silent Disco
I had to add this part of the fest in my recap just because this stage took me by surprise. I had always heard of a silent disco being apart of music festivals, and I am not going to lie when I initially thought the whole idea was silly. I thought, “What is the point of going to a live set if you have headphones on?” Well with that being said, SAMF’s Silent Disco Stage changed my take on the whole idea of it. I remember seeing a huge line to get into the set and decided to give it a try. I do not regret that decision one bit, because every time I stepped into that part of the fest I had a blast. You did not have to deal with everyone constantly pushing and shoving to get closer to the stage. Everyone’s full attention was solely on the music. It was nice seeing every person who entered the section have the biggest smile on their face as they left all the distracting sounds behind and put on their headphones. Every DJ who performed at the Silent Disco was phenomenal and had everyone dancing. It was a different experience to partake in for a music festival, but I loved it. That is why it is one of my top moments from the weekend.
Kaskade’s Set
. @kaskade showing Chi-town some love at #SAMF ? pic.twitter.com/i7EQRAbQyv
— Pursuit of Dopeness (@PursuitDopeness) June 14, 2016
Kaskade brought nothing but good vibes on day 2 of SAMF. The American DJ attracted hundreds of people to his set and there was not one person who wasn’t dancing to his back to back mixes. Along with his appealing House style, he featured visuals like no other. With fire, to smoke, to fireworks, he made sure his audience had a memorable time. He featured songs such as “Disarm You” and Galatantis’ famous EDM track “Runaway”. Kaskade was a great set to end off day 2 and showed Chicago hella love.
The Chainsmoker’s Tribute to Orlando Shooting
. @TheChainsmokers took time during their #SAMF set to pay tribute to the victims of the Orlando nightclub shooting pic.twitter.com/GiFirGXAdW
— Pursuit of Dopeness (@PursuitDopeness) June 14, 2016
The Chainsmoker’s set was the last performance I got to catch for 3 day festival, and they sure did close the festival by giving the crowd one hell of a show. They had everyone singing and dancing as they showed off their Ectro House skills. The duo featured many of their own tracks from “Roses” to “Don’t Let Me Down”. But the one moment that was most memorable of their set was when the duo took time out to pay tribute to the tragedy that had occurred the night before. They asked everyone to have a moment of silence for the victims of the Orlando nightclub shooting. It was an emotional moment as their hundreds of fans stood silent with their two fingers in the air. The Chainsmokers then followed up the moment of silence by playing Coldplay’s “Yellow” and left everyone with chills. It was a memorable moment of the night and ended off the fest with nothing but good vibes.
So with that being said, this past weekend was amazing and overall lit.