As the days begin to get warmer, people want to get outside in as little clothing as possible and have a good time. Electric Daisy Carnival was the beginning of that good time and one of the first electronic dance music festivals to kick off the summer. Met Life Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ was inundated with people of all ages who gathered for one person: dance music.
The last few years have seen the growth of dance music in all most all forms. Even pop music has been transformed as well-known producers and DJs such as David Guetta change the sound of many hits to be dance-friendly. It’s no wonder that events all over the world whether they are arts-based, weddings or just parties hire DJs to play dance music to get crowds going. This new found love for dance music brings everyone together unlike ever before and the genre has grown from an underground hush-hush party to something everyone knows about.
With names like Afrojack, Bassnectar, Armin Van Buuren and Fatboy Slim, all in one place, there was something for everyone at Electric Daisy Carnival. Getting into the festival itself was a bit disorganized and difficult, but once inside, there was plenty of space to wander through and plenty to see. The music was heard as soon as one entered the parking lot and immediately energized for what was ahead.
The first day of EDC had three stages, the other two days the stadium itself was opened for performances. Of course there were overpriced food vendors, merchandise tables as well as carnival rides reminiscent of those we remember as kids. There were also people dressed in costumes performing on stage and moving through the crowds. The nice thing was that since the carnival took place in such a large space, there was plenty of room to walk around in if you needed a break.
Most of the performers gave great shows, many of them had emcees which got to be a little annoying as one too many kept people from really enjoying the music with their attempt to get the crowd going. As with any show, there were people everywhere and dancing was not optional. Everyone felt ready to have a good time and really got into the music.
One particular performance that was unexpectedly great was Madeon. Many people didn’t know who he was, but his performance was so good that people were really able to dance to the music. Fedde Le Grand seemed more into himself than trying to get people to have a good time. He had one or two danceable tracks, but the rest forced people away and left others just standing and looking around.
Overall the days were a mix of both good and bad performances. Many of the unknown performers turned out to be really great and brought their A game while well-known artists turned out to be a disappointment. Mostly, the festival was a success and it’ll be interesting to see if the Las Vegas dates are just as great as the New York City one was.
