Five things we learned from Spring Awakening Day One
Chicago’s Spring Awakening Music Festival touched down on Soldier Field this Friday, kicking off the summer’s in-city festivals. We joined the neon hordes thronging Museum Campus Drive, ready to party on the 50 yard line. With two days and dozens of acts left to go, here’s what we learned from Spring Awakening Day One.
1. Goosebumps make great festival outfit accessories
With a predicted high of 66 and low of 55, the logical choice for most seasoned Chicagoans would be jeans and a zip up. Not so for the potentially unseasoned festival-goers. Bras, bootie shorts and bare midriffs dominated the crowd, who apparently were sticking it to the lack of summer by dressing like it was 80 anyways. Once in the crowd the cold was forgotten, but the stream of fans navigating through the grounds took on a blue hue as the night went on.
2. One isn’t the loneliest number
If it’s double the pleasure, double the fun, you’d think that half a duo would be half as good, but that turned out to not be the case Friday. Both Bingo Players’ Paul and Nero’s Daniel were absent from the decks, but their remaining DJ-mates carried the crowd to a frenzy regardless. Bingo Players warmed up the Main Stage crowd with electro hits and fan favorites while Nero heeded the very vocal (and unobservant) call to “drop that sh*t motherf*ckers” from one of their more emphatic fans.
3. Electro is the new dubstep
A sea of bodies with fists in the air pulse as one as Chuckie’s “Who Is Ready To Jump” bounces off stadium seats and hovers above the voracious crowd. It’s what festival aftermovie dreams are made of, and it’s a scene repeated dozens of times Friday. The cause? The resurgence of electro house. Though Nero proved dubstep still gets dance floors dirty, the abrasive synths and hard-hitting basslines of electro found their way into most sets Friday, setting knees shaking and jaws quivering. Music video directors, take note.
4. Even Moby engages in theatrics
Moby capped off the festivities Friday night, taking over the Main Stage after the side stages shut down for the evening. Though his set would prove one of the least commercial of the evening, within minutes of taking the decks he pulled a move more familiar to his Top Ten counterparts – he hopped up on the DJ booth and struck a Jesus pose. This certainly won’t be the last DJ antic of the weekend, but it may have been the most satisfying: as far as legacy goes, Moby is a god among men.
5. All ages means all ages
With any all-ages festival, you expect to see hordes of teenagers taking full advantage of their lack of adult supervision. This has certainly happened already this weekend, but more noticeable may have been the number of adults also left unsupervised. Chicago house undeniably has legions of from-the-beginning fans, but their attendance made for a refreshing foil to the squeals and sneaked cigarettes of the under-18 crowd: though “EDM” may be a young word, electronic music does not have to be.
Categories: Music