During a weekend of chaos in the scene, North Coast Music Festival delivered an immersive, inclusive, and unforgettable experience.
As the summer sun began to set over Chicago’s skyline, music enthusiasts from all corners of the country converged at the SeatGeek Stadium for the highly anticipated North Coast Music Festival. With its eclectic lineup, vibrant atmosphere, and undeniable commitment to celebrating music in all its forms, North Coast once again delivered a weekend filled with unforgettable beats and energy.
During Labor Day Weekend, numerous festivities occurred in the electronic music community. As heard throughout the industry, Electric Zoo at Randall’s Island Park in New York City fell nothing short of a festival flop. With a morning of cancellation on the first day due to permit issues and stages not being completed on time, the chaos did not stop there. In addition to Electric Zoo, Burning Man ran into weather issues, causing attendees to get stuck on the playa.
Among the chaos of lackluster preparation and execution, alongside disastrous weather out of one’s control, there were festivals that ran successfully during the holiday weekend, both of which were in Chicago. While ARC Music Festival hosted another massive edition, North Coast threw down one of the best experiences for dance music lovers in the Windy City to date.
North Coast Music Festival always delivers an extensive bill of diverse talent, interactive experiences, and plenty of fun. With some of the biggest names in dance music headlining like Marshmello, Ganja White Night, Alison Wonderland, and Chris Lake and including an undercard of epic proportions with acts such as Rossy, Elohim, Devault, and Jantsen, the festival knows how to reel in a crowd and throw a holiday weekend extravaganza.
There were flawless beginnings on the first day of North Coast.
Upon arriving roughly around the time the gates were opening, it came as a huge surprise that the often dreadful long lines at will call were nonexistent. For another surprise, the security lines were moving quickly, and security was working efficiently. Nonetheless, they were super kind and seemed to be having a great time.
Walking over to the first set of the weekend, DRINKURWATER at The Vega stage, there weren’t any daunting crowds of people, and there were plenty of accessible beverage tents. Not to mention, there were plenty of water stations available right as attendees entered the gates. The planning that was done before the festival exceeded my expectations.
The stage production was next level. The improvements made to The Vega stage to include 600,000 watts of sound on top of now being a souring 50 feet high and 200 feet wide definitely paid off. Wreckno, Lab Group, Liquid Stranger, and others were able to showcase their signature sound designs and visual production on a proper stage. The other mind-blowing addition to this year’s stages was The Shipyard, where the stage was literally built with box cars, where Yung Bae tore it up Friday evening.
The second day proved that not all who wander are lost.
Transitioning into the second day of the festival, things were heating up, including the nearly 90-degree forecast. The Stadium stage was the place to be as most of the stadium was shaded, and acts like Esseks and Of The Trees were still able to capture a fruitful crowd. If I had to have one complaint, it would be the expense of drinks at the festival. Although super accessible, $14 for a Corona Seltzer and $5 for water seemed excessive, especially in the gruesome heat.
As the sun began to set, house music lovers swarmed to The Vega stage for Chris Lorenzo. Being one of the more jampacked crowds of the weekend, I wandered, and a fun and groovy beat caught my ears. I stumbled upon the Fire Pit where dynamic duo MZG were throwing down shake somethin’ music left and right. Right after the duo ended, Daily Bread took the stage and was the final set of the evening leading up to the one and only Zeds Dead at The Stadium.
One key focal point of the layout of North Coast is that attendees can easily wander from stage to stage without fear of getting lost. The stages were close enough that it was super easy to navigate, but there was little to no sound bleed throughout the venue. This is something I’ve noticed several festivals lagging on, so it was another aspect of North Coast that stood out.
The third day of North Coast was hot and heavy.
A huge component of what separates North Coast from other festivals when it comes to escaping the heat is the indoor soccer field transformed into The Chill Dome. Not to mention, it’s a place that promotes relaxation and the utmost of vibes. Every day at the gates opening, there was yoga held by Alissa Jo, and the Chill Dome was even a stage where acts like Inzo and Cara Arobba played on Sunday. The air-conditioned dome even had state-of-the-art lasers.
As the day progressed, so did the heat, hitting a high of 96 degrees, making it crucial that the crowds remained hydrated. One standout I noticed was at the Fire Pit stage, the North Coast team waited to turn on the pyro features until the sun was setting. Additionally, crew members were handing out free water to coasties and spraying them with a sprinkler, with their permission, of course.
A few notable Sunday acts included Chicago’s very own CLB, who played a rolling drum and bass set at the Fire Pit. Over at the Vega stage, NGHTMRE went back to back with Big Gigantic for their Gigantic NGHTMRE set and brought out another on-the-rise artist, LYNY. Closing out the Stadium stage as Sunday’s headliner, Flume played an incredibly nostalgic performance that had the crowd almost in tears. The set closed out an incredible weekend of memorable, exciting performances and was, best of all, a festival success story.
With the shift and saturation of music festivals, it is more important now than ever to highlight what is being done right.
There are several reasons why festivals must be organized and executed effectively. The safety of festival-goers is paramount. Festivals often, if not always, draw large crowds, and the well-being of attendees should be the top priority. Safety at festivals is essential to protect attendees, uphold the reputation of the event, comply with regulations, and contribute positively to the community that brings so many people together. North Coast Music Festival hit all those marks and successfully allowed coasties to have yet another memorable year and did so with ease, and for that, we cannot thank them enough.
