From August 1-2, 2015, HARD Summer Music Festival took place in Pamona, California, just over an hour from LAX. This festival was catered for the Electronic Dance Music lovers, and they definitely showed up. It featured all styles from deep house, to trap, to live electronic and everything in between. No matter one’s EDM preference, one was able to find something at this festival. So how did the festival hold up?
1) The Music
The lineup was pretty much an EDM fan’s paradise. Artists could be found across the entire spectrum of the genre. However, the festival wasn’t called HARD Summer for nothing. Almost all the artists were getting down hard and cranking the bass up on overdrive. So much at times, that it gave many of the artists a dubstep-like feel. This was a very common sound for many of the artists, but was unique for others. For example, Griz and Big Gigantic, two groups that are known for getting down and funky with their live instrumentals and epic saxophones, played their typical sets, but added some heavy drops into their tracks giving their sets different looks than usual.
2) The Veterans
The headliners at HARD Summer were definitely a big draw for the festival, and they didn’t disappoint. Dillon Francis was one of the headliners to close the festival on the first night. He had a huge part in advertising the festival, as he starred front and center on the HARD Summer 2015 Official Trailer. As always, Dillon Francis came out with tremendous energy and kept the crowd moving the entire set. Chromeo put on a stellar performance as well, and were a breathe of fresh air from the hard dropping beats. They brought their signature disco-pop groove that everyone seemed to enjoy. Additionally, it was great watching them perform live, especially when they both played guitar back to back. Last, Jack U closed the festival with an epic show. It was incredible to see how many people gathered there for the set- by far the biggest audience of any show. Skrillex and Diplo showed everyone a great time by playing their remixes of very popular songs from current radio hits to Soulja Boy and The Offspring. The festival had to end with a bang though, and it sure did, when Justin Bieber came out to join them as they played their hottest song, “Where Are U Now.”
3) The Up & Comers
While it was impossible to catch every show there were two acts that stood out to us here. Gorgon City put on a fantastic live set. The UK based group had lots of people playing live instruments with them and even vocals at some points, which all came together to give them their unique sound. Matoma also put on a perfect show, and there was no better setting for it than HARD. The hot weather and palm trees went perfectly with his tropical house sound. He finished his set with his classic, “Old Thing Back.”
4) The Crowd
The crowd at HARD Summer was generally made up of the electronic raver type. It was also an 18+ festival, so there were more younger attendees present than at other festivals. Many police or medical problems always seem to happen to the younger demographic. However, we found that most of the crowd was very nice and respectful of one another. Despite having a huge crowd, everyone was just happy to be there and was getting along merrily!
5) The Setting
Hard Summer nailed it here. First off, the festival was very convenient from Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the USA. Additionally, many artists are based in LA, so it is much easier to get artists on the lineup and more likely to have guest appearances. The weather was beautiful the entire time. While it was very hot during the day, the festival provide amble cooling stations to take a breather at. Additionally, the weather couldn’t have been any better at night- one could be wearing short sleeves and be completely comfortable. The festival set up was also well planned. It was big enough where you never felt too crowded. There was a total of five stages: two outdoor and three indoor. There was also tons of good places to eat, many water filling stations, and plenty of bathrooms to go around so you never waited in line long. Maybe the best part of the setting though was its beauty. Where else can you look out and see palm trees galore with a background of mountains!
Overall, HARD Summer Music Festival put on a great production. There were no logistical problems, and they did a great job of communicating with their fans through their app. If you love EDM and yo can’t get enough bass than this is definitely the festival for you!
