Spring Awakening Music Festival (SAMF) 2018 marked more than just another festival in the books for Backpacks and Beat Drops. This festival, which fell on a weekend one year after the creation of our website, marked a milestone for us as a media outlet. Not only were we granted the opportunity to officially cover the event with media credentials, but we also got to celebrate how far we’ve come on this crazy journey called chasing our dreams.
As we mentioned in our Spring Awakening preview, we had a lot to look forward to—from the fire lineup to the carnival rides. The concept of SAMF has been alive and thriving for about ten years now, so this was clearly going to be good. With that said, we’re giving React Presents a shiny gold star for SAMF 2018.
SAMF Day 1
As usual, we arrived with plenty of time to explore before our first must-see artist of the day, Mercer. The line for security popped us inside at the Solstice Stage in a flash. We had a minute to scope it out; unfortunately, only a couple of artists on our must-see list were playing at this stage over the weekend. Today, the majority of our must-see artists were scheduled at the Equinox Stage and one of the branded stages (if you guessed Heldeep, you’re really getting to know us).
As we wandered around, filling our amazing Thrillseeker hydration packs with water became our next mission. More water stations had been promised by Spring Awakening this year, which meant shorter wait times and more hydrated attendees. The last thing we want as fest-goers is to get stuck in a long line for water and miss a set we were dying to see.
The realization that the line actually ended at the fest entrance we just came through didn’t hit us until we tried getting in line ourselves… What was going on here?? Confused because the whole situation looked exactly like it did last year, we stared at the ridiculously long line leading to a limited number of water stations. No one has the time or patience to wait in that, so we headed to the beverage stands to buy water instead.
SAMF’s VIP Experience
Not all of the stages offered a VIP viewing area. This benefit would have been really nice at the branded Heldeep Stage since the tented structure offered limited visibility towards the back. However, we really appreciated the VIP restrooms located at the Equinox Stage. Thank goodness for real soap and water!!
We also found a handy beverage stand in the VIP area at Equinox. It seemed like the lines here would be nonexistent the whole weekend, and no wait time for beer was something we could get behind! Besides that, the viewing area was dope; it wasn’t too off-to-the-side that we couldn’t enjoy a full view of the stage, there was plenty of room to dance, and the tables had phone chargers sticking out of them. A+!
Ron Carroll emcees for Mercer
We weren’t sure what kind of set to expect from Mercer, whether it was going to be a disco house set or more of an electro house vibe. We still weren’t sure exactly what it was once he started throwing down beats, but we sure did love it! A few songs into the set, we heard an emcee start yelling into the mic. Oh, no…
We have a real issue with emcees who don’t know how to shut up so we can actually hear the music. First of all, this guy wasn’t even yelling in time to the music that Mercer was playing. He didn’t understand the kind of drops that were about to happen, so he kept trying to amp us up at awkward times in the set. In all honesty, we didn’t stay until the end of the set because of him.
We also didn’t stay long enough to watch him perform “Satisfy” live and realize it was Ron Carroll. Welp! We had to pee and get more beer—what are you gonna do??
Best set of Spring Awakening goes to Tchami
It’s no surprise that our boy Oliver Heldens conflicted with another one of our favorite artists, Tchami. Ollie has a way of getting scheduled at the same time as another artist we’re dying to see, and this time, we had to go with Tchami.
It’s impossible for Tchami to disappoint. We lost our minds (even though it wasn’t Chris Lake) and shuffled nonstop in the VIP viewing area. Having a great view and so much room to dance like an idiot at the same time is normally so hard to find at a packed set. Also, shout-out to his whole lighting/production team for being some of the best in the industry!
When Zeds Dead opens with your song
Claudia: After Tchami, we made a pitstop at the beer tent before meeting up with my roommate, J-lin, and some of our other friends in the crowd for Zeds Dead. All of a sudden, I heard their set begin, and I actually couldn’t believe my ears. They were opening with Snavs’ “Won’t Let Us,” which is J-lin’s and my SONG. I immediately fell to the ground and started crying—I couldn’t believe I wasn’t with him at that moment!! THEY WERE DROPPING “WON’T LET US!” We had both been dying to hear that dubstep-flute sound live and actually talked about who might drop it at Spring Awakening. We still can’t believe it actually happened! If you’ve ever had a moment like this at a show, you know exactly what I mean.
A shipfam party with Destructo
We love the guy, but we felt iffy about what Destructo’s set would be like since we didn’t vibe with his sunrise sermon set on Holy Ship 8.0 and have heard mixed things about his live performances. Turns out, we couldn’t be happier we left Zeds Dead to get down with Destructo. His tented stage was popping off with purple lights and the best vibes. We felt like we were on Holy Ship the entire time!
There’s something about groovy yet grimey house music that you can’t stop moving to, like Destructo’s “Shots to the Dome” and Chris Lake and Chris Lorenzo’s first track as their new project together, Anti Up, called “Pizza.” (This track is not to be confused with Martin Garrix’s song “Pizza.”)
Sidenote: Anti Up is going to destroy the house music game—you heard it here first!!
Claudia: Casey and I were shuffling when a guy tapped me and said he would shuffle with me at the next drop. We went for it, and he was a really good dancer! Then he traded kandi with me, and I ended up with this really pretty emerald beaded bracelet—not your typical kandi. I was confused at first, but I felt like there was some meaning behind where that bracelet came from or why he chose to pass it on.
Tchami plays so much techno
We scurried to Tchami and Mercer’s afterparty at Concord Music Hall that evening (because we could easily see Tchami 12 times in one day). He played what felt like a three-hour set (it may actually have been three hours). We were treated to classic tracks like “Came to Get Funky” by Cazztek alongside SO MUCH TECHNO! What a perfect end to Day 1!
SAMF Day 2
This time when we arrived at the fest, the security line to get in was ridiculous! We asked a security worker if there was another entrance (and more importantly, a VIP line somewhere), and he pointed us to the other access point at the southern side of the park. This line was gnarly as well, though. Turns out, a VIP line didn’t exist anywhere. The wait was probably 30 minutes, but we made it inside in time to catch some of Black Tiger Sex Machine (who dropped “Won’t Let Us” too!!) before Prok & Fitch.
Prok & Fitch are in control
These guys claimed one of the top spots on our must-see list for the weekend. While we danced and vibed with the crowd, we ran into people we met on Friday. One guy was there because we told him to check out Prok & Fitch today. It was awesome to see him there because of our recommendation, having the time of his life. Prok & Fitch somehow didn’t drop “Sheeple,” which is one song we really wanted to hear, but they were still in control of our bodies!!
Even people who don’t listen to EDM like Big Gigantic
Deciding between seeing Hardwell or staying for Big Gigantic to close out the night was a toss-up, mostly because we weren’t super hyped about either. We couldn’t have made a better choice by staying for Big G.
Claudia: I feel like these guys always lean towards a super funky set when they play in Colorado, and we all know I’m about the house and bass music. Their Spring Awakening set ended up getting so dirty I practically had to break out a Swiffer. It also didn’t hurt to be dancing with someone who was experiencing their very first EDM festival and seeing how much fun they were having.
SAMF Day 3
Day three of a music festival is always bittersweet. Good thing Will Clarke was able to get our minds off the fact that it was our last day at Spring Awakening! Will is someone we can always count on to put his heart and soul into each performance. After sitting down and chatting with Will Clarke in Miami about his mindset towards making music, it’s easy to see his passion reflected in his live shows. It was good seeing you, as always, Will!
Yet again, we ran into people we had met earlier that weekend! Maybe it was just the house music crowd at SAMF, but we absolutely loved the people. We’ve mentioned this in our past recaps, but the vibe of the crowd can make or break a festival experience for us. There’s nothing more refreshing than spending an entire weekend in a place full of love and happiness and zero judgment and negativity!
Virtual Self cancels on us, but not in a bad way
Porter Robinson announced that the Equinox Stage couldn’t accommodate a Virtual Self production, so he’d be playing a Porter set instead. We can’t lie about being disappointed, but we also could never be mad about a Porter Robinson set.
Claudia: This was actually my first time seeing Porter, and he was incredible!! I couldn’t even tell you what was happening. The visuals and lights were so wild and perfectly intensified the emotional aspect of his music. Casey was crying the whole time, to no one’s surprise. He’s so talented at making people cry!
deadmau5
Luckily, Equinox Stage was able to accommodate deadmau5‘s cube! It got dark just in time for his set, and the stage set-up was perfect. His cube, embedded in the center, injected lights and weird patterns and scenes into the side panels. As soon as dirty techno music began flooding the crowd, all the fake fans left. Later into the set, all you could see from the back was hundreds of people swaying and playing air keyboards along to the melodies. Another best thing we’ve ever seen!
The Equinox Stage was definitely our favorite place to be all weekend. This stage hosted an incredible lineup and an immersive design. The way the lights complemented the panels during each set ensured a captivating experience unique to each artist performing there. A big plus was being able to move around in the crowd, dance, and find friends super easily. This stage, like the Solstice Stage, also conveniently offered a 21+ viewing area.
Overall
This goes without saying, but we had an incredible time taking on Spring Awakening 2018! It seemed like every artist gave us their best performance—we have zero letdowns to report. The layout of the festival itself was great and really easy to explore, even if you didn’t know where you were going. We missed the Soldier Field location, but we know React Presents made the most of SAMF’s new home at Addams/Medill Park. Also, the carnival rides were a nice touch.
Claudia: I was pleasantly surprised when I made myself go on the Freak Out ride and didn’t throw up!!
Looking ahead to next year and beyond, we’d love to see this fest expand even more. We’re hoping the future brings us bigger, more elaborate branded stages, even more water stations, and a roller coaster (given there’s enough space for one)! We also think it would be amazing if the VIP experience included viewing areas at the branded stages, a separate entrance or line to get in to the security checkpoint, and a carnival ride on the house.
There’s nothing like attending a music festival right in your hometown (or second hometown in Claudia’s case). We see the potential in Chicago’s signature EDM festival as it continues to grow, and as always, we can’t wait for next year!
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