Spring Awakening Recap

Posted by Thrash on Jun 21, 2012 in Events | 1 comment

This past weekend marked a very special event in the history of Chicago’s relationship with EDM. The Spring Awakening Music Festival took place Saturday and Sunday on the grounds of Soldier Field. iBrostep was in attendance for both days of mayhem, and I must say that this festival was immaculately put together.

Congress Theater and React Presents did a spectacular job of organizing DJs and producers of all genres, everything from drumstep to house to mash ups were heard across the festival grounds. With four stages to choose from, Spring Awakening had a little bit of everything for everyone!

Although the heat index was well in to the upper 90’s on both days, this did not stop the waves of ravers from attending. Furry boots, hula hoops and LED gloves paraded around as bass heavy music pounded through the sound systems. Smiles adorned everyone's faces from the moment they cleared security - even the high priced water couldn't dampen the mood!

Day One began with Krewella, followed by 3LAU, Manic Focus and Downlink. All artists threw down super hard and got the crowds roaring early in the day. Kill The Noise put on my favorite set of the day – nothing beats this man’s composure on stage as well as his mixing abilities.

Ferry Corsten and Benny Benassi rounded out the day’s performances before the most epic of conclusions took place. In the pouring rain, Skrillex mounted the main stage in the end zone of Soldier Field and absolutely killed it! I don’t think anything can top the experience of womping out to the infectious beats of Sonny Moore, while being inside one of the most amazing football stadiums of all time! The lasers that spread across the crowd were broken up by rain drops, which in turn made the lasers appear to sparkle throughout the entire set. It was truly a magical moment. Check out the video of Skrillex right here.

Day Two began slightly later in the day (due to extreme soreness from day one)! R3hab and Datsik began the day with phenomenal sets as the crowds kept filling in thicker and thicker in the tent stages outside the stadium. By the time 8pm rolled around, Flux Pavilion took to the mainstage. Amidst screams of ecstacy from the crowd, he played hit after hit including “Day Dreamer”, “Gold Dust”, and “Cracks”.

Immediately after Flux was Wolfgang Gartner – there wasn’t even room around the tent to watch it was so crowded! One guy passed out these trippy glasses that make every light reveal the entire spectrum when you put them on - it was quite the experience to wear these at a show with so many lights! Check out the video of Afrojack right here.

Finally, the last performance of the evening was Afrojack. Taking the stage and egging the crowd on “Are you ready for some Afrojack music??”, Afrojack proved why he is one of the most sought after producers in the industry today. Drop after drop the crowd screamed for more, as Afrojack bounced around on stage with his arms held high. Check out this video of Afrojack right here.

While this was the inaugural year of Spring Awakening Music Festival, I was so impressed by the quality of the performances as well as the general set up of the fest that I could have sworn this has happened many years prior! I look forward to the next year’s festival to get another opportunity to rage on Soldier Field. Spring Awakening, you took every ounce of energy I had in my body – thanks for the memories!