The first day left me with a lot of anticipation for Saturday. I entered the festival weekend believing Friday was going to be my least favorite and after experiencing it, I could not wait to get back out to Addams Medill park on Saturday. Worth noting: Axwell^Ingrosso could not make it because of passport theft so every artist up until Diplo was pushed back one hour on the mainstage. Nonetheless, here are my thoughts on everybody I caught on day 2:
Mija
I went in with huge expectations after seeing her at Lollapalooza last summer, however aside from the last 10 minutes her set was completely different.
She scraped playing her standout originals and remixes and instead opted for a basic house oriented set. She was very underwhelming to say the least.
Malaa
The famous masked DJ/producer has been the talk of the show anytime he appears. Spring Awakening was no exception. He dropped a killer house set that had the crowd mesmerized for the entire hour. No one stopped dancing and the vibe was infectious. Must-see every time.
Armin van Buuren
The first partial set I attended, and from when I was there it looked like it was classic trance Armin back at it again. Stellar set where you get what you expect: pure class from the God of trance music.
Robin Schulz
He spun a surprisingly bouncy set that had the audience grooving.
I hadn’t planned on seeing him but the A^I layover opened some time and let’s just say I wasn’t disappointed with Schulz.
Zhu
I caught the first half of his set and it strongly mimicked his closing gig at Lollapalooza. Of course, his house captured the crowd and had everyone floating to subtle drops on every beat. It was groovy, it was bumping, it was musically jam packed.
Zhu is still one of the most underrated acts live.
Yellow Claw
Personally, they were my ideal sub-headliners for Diplo from the start. The Dutch trap duo bring a new style rarely heard from local artists, but one I wish for people had. The Amsterdam trap music style captures your body and ignites energy all throughout. It was my third time seeing them and it was without a doubt their best performance.
Diplo
The closer was the highlight yet again. Diplo came out with a set that all his fans have honestly been missing since he initiated the Jack U duo with Skrillex. It had house, moombahton, dubstep and trap. It was filthy, but so clean, and groovy but grimy at the same time. His transitions were flawless and REACT once again fit the Saturday vibe perfectly. 10/10 performance from the Mad Decent star, we love you Diplo.
Saturday brought an unparalleled level of dancing and energy. It was hard to comprehend that it was about 90 degrees out. There was energy, great vibes and smiles anywhere you looked. 2017 has been a Spring Awakening to remember.
