DAY 2:
As we rolled up to the Fairplex on Sunday, we remembered (this time) to pack copious amounts of sunscreen and aloe. Our skin was destroyed from the previous day’s sun, so we draped towels and t-shirts over our necks and heads to save us from the elements. Our bodies, broken and exhausted, reentered the grounds and headed straight into the Purple Stage to catch the end of Jai Wolf‘s set. Flume’s “Tennis Courts” remix, “Flicker”, and his own “Ease My Mind” remix all made a welcome appearance. He closed with Baauer’s “Tell Me” edit, one that shattered the stage and dropped the jaws of our entire group. The crowd grew exponentially larger as the performance continued, sending him a warm and thunderous farewell as he finally left the stage.
We picked up cheeseburgers at the main stage food area, and made our way up the flight of stairs to the shaded bleachers. It seemed to be a universal pit stop, as people high and low refueled, sat down, and got a short break from the constant sunlight. Australian duo Carmada played while we rested, throwing down an extremely heavy trap set amongst their own hit tracks. Using high-energy tracks that featured raw and minimal production, they provided a perfect segue into Jauz‘s performance.
After hearing a few tracks and escaping the massive crowds, we scurried back to Purple Stage. Even though Mr. Carmack wasn’t set to play for another 40 minutes, we knew we had to arrive early for a good spot. While we waited, only four or five people from the front barriers, rap group Leikeli47 took to the stage to play a unique and hard-hitting compilation of tracks. The DJ, lead female rapper, and two dancers all wore dark ski masks as they commanded the incoming crowd. When the lights were dimmed and Carmack’s sun hat could be seen peering over the booth, the real power and magic of HARD Summer was brought forward.
Throughout the entire rest of the weekend, I had been frantically jotting down notes on my phone, trying to keep up with the best tracks being played out and overall vibe of the stages. Carmack’s set was different. I didn’t pull out my phone once, other than to take a completely necessary video of his first live play-out of “Pay For What“. The performance was astounding, relentless, and sweaty above all else. There was barely a moment when the music let up, as he transitioned quickly between all of his best and dirtiest tracks. The crowd erupted during every single drop, and Carmack’s parents even got onstage to throw out stickers and dance. Near the end of the set, I turned around quickly to take a peek at the audience. It looked as if someone was flipping the end of a long carpet, as waves of hands and arms seemed to roll backwards from the front of the room. It was nearly perfect, or as close as you can get.
Before skipping back to the main stage, we stopped to get water near the HARDer Stage and saw the first 20 minutes of Die Antwoord‘s much anticipated set. After a harsh and driving techno beat, the pair emerged on stage to bang out “Fatty Boom Boom“, dressed in their appropriate costumes. The energy they emitted was immense and unceasing as they captivated the crowd with each new track. During “Ugly Boy“, Jack Black made a special appearance on stage, dancing along and breaking into a short monologue while Ninja and Yolandi made another costume change.
Eventually, we made our last walk across the grounds to the main stage to hunker down for the closing three sets. As the sun finally began to set, we waded through endless seas of fans to get to a decent spot. Zeds Dead took to the stage in their normal fashion, playing a bass-heavy and stylistically diverse array of tracks from all sorts of artists. We threw our ‘Z’s up, head banged, and waited anxiously for RL Grime to begin.
The set began with a lengthy, strobe-filled rendition of “Golden State” with ZHU’s “Faded” a cappella resting on top. His set consisted of the sort of unbelievable trap heaters that we expected, and that I’d seen him play out many times before. Rather than play an almost exclusive trap set however, he incorporated a very substantial amount of time to other genres, albeit just as impactful toward the crowd. There were bursts of fire, “Core“, and Kanye West tracks, so the bases were mostly covered for me. Despite this being one of his largest crowds to date, my gut tells me that RL was trying to appease several types of listeners rather than entirely play his own personal set. Even though it was gigantic and similar to other festival sets I’ve seen of his, it felt slightly watered down or overthought. I was happy to see him perform as always, but I walked away certain that I hadn’t seen his best work.
Finally, after already having been standing in the same position for nearly 2 hours, Jack Ü emerged onto the stage. With a visual spectacle exploding behind them, they proceeded to play a set worthy of the HARD’s closing spot. Everything from French Montana to Knife Party to Slander was fair game, as the boys transitioned seamlessly through myriad genres and tempos. The energy was fierce and alive, and the audience was engaged throughout the entire performance. At one point, they decided to play a quick gimmick and have the crowd cheer Diplo back to life after he ‘died’ on stage. Even though I rolled my eyes and waited for the next track to start, it didn’t disrupt the momentum. Jack Ü’s steady hold over the Los Angeles electronic scene made them one of the only ones able to successfully close out the festival’s weekend.
I left the Fairplex for the last time in a quiet stupor, amongst yells and chants echoing down the long hallway leading to the parking lot. Despite my slow-roasted skin and dusty clothes, I had no doubt that this year’s HARD Summer exceeded every other festival of the season. The passion and brotherhood within the crowd is something that can’t be recreated almost anywhere else. The experience was a welcome homecoming in many ways, throwing me into the very epicenter of the music community that I long to return to when I’m across the country. It truly is an extraordinary event, and (in my opinion) should be placed at the very top of everyone’s priority list for next year.
HARD Summer 2015 Recap from James Torres on Vimeo.
