Although Rainpocalypse may have settled in over the New York Metropolitan Area, there are approximately 100,000 people who are aglow with the memory of Insomniac's Electric Daisy Carnival at Metlife Stadium this weekend. We truly lucked out with clear blue skies, temperatures in the high seventies, and pleasant evenings. The grounds had been transformed what was simply a football field and a parking lot into festival goer's dreams. Carnival rides were posted on the crossroads between the four stages, each catering to a different musical taste.
Speculation over the event as it came into fruition soared. Insomniac, a veteran in throwing massive sized festivals, was being held to the test for executing this event in the New York area. One wouldn't think the Giants stadium could house four talent stages, but Insomniac proved that they could and step up the level of production to that. Each stage had its own attractions, from fireworks to sexy flower girls providing a feast for the eye to look upon.
The highlight of Friday night was most definitely Armin van Buuren's show on the "Kinectic Field" stage where he was accompanied by a dazzling array of explosives and fireworks to mark his performance. The king of anthem trance stayed around, as he closed on Saturday as well on his own "A State of Trance" stage.
The crowds multiplied for Saturday and Sunday, and while there may have been some line complications on Saturday those were out of the question by the following day. The field inside the Giants stadium was covered with a plastic dance floor and people fluctuated constantly in and out, stopping by to rage out to the Size Matters stage with acts like Steve Angello and Erick Morillo. Danny Tenaglia, one of our most seasoned DJs, dropped a beautiful remix of Donna Summer's "I Feel Love" on Carl Cox's stage, pulling out simply her vocals and even adding his own. Who knew Tenaglia could sing so well? His timing was perfect, like with his mixing, as he finished only seconds before the array of fireworks exploded in the sky behind him.
Sunday, the hottest of all three days, brought some of the world's greatest acts featuring Richie Hawtin with his new act "Enter." The world's best techno acts united under one stage in the US is definitely a sight not often seen. Dubfire, Loco Dice, Victor Calderone, Magda, and visiting friends like Guti were all together like family. Visionquest boys headed up a wonderful set, quirky and fun and deep, while Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano rocked it on their stage.
All in all, Insomniac's venture into the East coast has been a successful one. Like Markus Schulz said for the West coast ones, each production builds up every year, let's see what they bring around for year two.
Photo Credit: Peter Drier