Seven best moments from Ultra Weekend 1
With the first weekend of Ultra Music Festival at a close, we count down some of its best moments. From Major Lazer stripping the crowd of their shirts to Zedd bearing some skin, there was no shortage of entertainment.
1. Zedd living up to his promise with a naked lap.
After some Twitter trash talk, Zedd stayed true to his word and scampered around the Main Stage during Deadmau5’s set in nothing but suspenders and boxers pink briefs. That skinny man gave some 50,000 live and 8 million remote fans a good laugh and one of our best moments of Weekend One.
2. Major Lazer getting everyone to take their shirt off.
“We cannot continue until everyone takes off their shirt.” That was what Jamillionaire, Walshy Fire, and Diplo demanded of the crowd and the audience complied. Girls and guys alike took off their tops and lassoed them in unison. It was awesome.
3. All of the Space Ibiza artists shortening sets to let Calvin Harris play.
After missing his flight, Kaskade took the reigns on Calvin’s set time at the Mega Structure. When the Scotsman arrived, Avicii, Tiesto and David Guetta all shortened their sets to let Harris play at 9 p.m. for 45 minutes – DJs looking out for DJs.
4. Big acts hitting Miami for the first time.
Dog Blood almost toppled the arch. The M Machine showcased their broad range of talents. The Krewella sisters proved they can sing. Disclosure treated fans to a set full of album previews. Seven Lions threw out a bevvy of genres for an animated crowd.
5. Carl Cox had a 3 hour set.
You could dance, buy a hot dog, rest in a hammock, and still have an hour to see the King do what he does best. With space to dance all the way to the booth, the Mega Structure was a necessary pit stop during the three hour exercise.
6. Artists rebounding from technical difficulties.
Whether it was Krewella with a short stint of tech failure or Kaskade coping with a 10 minute Main Stage power loss, I was impressed with the resolve of the artists and understanding of the fans. Sh*t happens, right? Audiences were more concerned with dancing to their favorite DJs that any downtime only built the anticipation.
7. World premieres from the greats.
Fedde Le Grand, Kaskade, and Armin all opened with the world premiere of their surely upcoming chart toppers. Afrojack showcased his new album. Nicky Romero dropped his follow up to “Flash,” and Hardwell played his upcoming collab with Dyro.
Categories: Music