The San Diego County Fair offered a family-friendly experience for dance music lovers with their first-ever electronic show featuring Zedd.
Thousands of people head to the Del Mar Fairgrounds each June and early July to experience the sights, sounds, tastes, and thrills the San Diego County Fair offers. This near-month-long getaway has helped kick off the summer season for decades, but while the exhibits, rides, unique food vendors, and more draw in many attendees, the Toyota Summer Concert Series is what turned my head this year.
The annual concert series at the San Diego County Fair has historically featured artists from rock, country, hip-hop, and more. Yet this year, they shook things up by booking legendary electronic artist Zedd for a headline show. As a longtime attendee of the fair, dating back to when it was still called the Del Mar Fair, I knew I needed to witness this historic moment.
I was gutted when I missed Zedd’s performance at Coachella earlier this year, having opted to catch a different act instead, but I was intent on making up for that. Since it was at the fair, it also opened up the rare opportunity for me to bring my family along for the ride so they could experience his music for the first time in a live setting. This is something that hasn’t been as easy for me to do since Insomniac hosted Electric Mile in 2021, so I jumped at the opportunity.
Flash forward to the Saturday of the show. My family and I went to Del Mar, picked up our tickets, and headed to the fairgrounds. The beauty of grabbing a ticket to any show during the Toyota Summer Concert Series is that it comes with fair admission so that we can experience everything the fair offers without an additional cost.
This year’s theme, “Summer Pet-tacular,” was front and center, allowing us to mix and mingle with puppies, birds, and other animal friends in different exhibits alongside those dedicated to farm animals. My mom loves gardening, so the floral area was our first stop after entering the gates. Soon after, we found ourselves meandering through different pathways to check out this year’s food options and the rides, which included one that surprised me by paying homage to Insomniac and EDC Las Vegas.
The adventuring continued for hours before Zedd took the stage, leading us to catch the Wiener dog races and discover a hidden speakeasy in the grandstands. It was remarkable how similar these sidequests are to ones I would’ve done at a major festival, granted, with fewer animals present. In fact, if a festival had the foot massagers spread throughout the fairgrounds, it’d be a considerable upgrade.
The seconds began to tick away until the show was about to start, and the hype from everyone, my family included, was swelling.
As we walked toward the Corona Grandstand Stage, we were met with a seemingly endless number of people dressed in festival-ready fits. It was a bit funny seeing girls in pashminas in contrast to the rest of the crowd attending the fair, but with the show being sold out, it was expected. Also evident was the attendance of all ages, as you could see other families, college kids, and more entering the venue.
We got settled in our seats as Mesto performed his final few songs. This fast-rising phenom, who collaborated with Zedd in the past and even joined him earlier this year at Ultra Miami, packed a punch with his set. The changeover began after his last track, and the crowd was buzzing with excitement – it was time for Zedd to take the stage.
The lights dimmed, and Zedd’s remix of Radiohead’s “Everything In Its Right Place” began to play. The crowd roared, and we were off to the races.
“What’s up, San Diego?” Zedd said to the crowd before the set’s first massive drop. Below me, a sea of phones in the pit bounced up and down like buoys, and screams came from all angles. You could tell from that moment that this performance from Zedd would be exceptional.
It’s tough when you’re working while catching Zedd, because this man has so many memorable hit tunes that it becomes hard to choose what to capture and what to enjoy. He ran through tracks like “I Want You To Know” with Selena Gomez, “Stay The Night” with Hayley Williams, “Beautiful Now” with Jon Bellion, and “Break Free” with Ariana Grande – all of which received a massive response from the crowd that was belting out every lyric. Not to mention the roar during “Spectrum” and “Clarity,” the latter of which Zedd closed with after chants of “one more song” filled the grandstands.
That wasn’t all that Zedd played, as he layered in classics like “Show Me Love,” “Turn On The Lights again..,” “Titanium,” and “Animals” along the way. After remarking that he’d never played a fair before, he made the moment even more special by bringing Mesto onto the stage to record the crowd’s response, which he said would be used for their new tune together. It was a perfect touch for the already-intimate atmosphere that was curated for this show.
Zedd was great, but the fact that my mom and sister had such a fun time made the experience even more memorable.
While I’ve attended events with my sister, I’ve never had the opportunity to bring my mom along for the ride. Seeing them enjoy Zedd’s music for the first time was uplifting, and a moment I’ll cherish. As for the rest of the crowd, the energy they brought to the show was tremendous. There were a few moments where some of the younger attendees got a bit wild, and security was a bit overwhelmed, but that was anticipated with it being a sold-out show and the first time an electronic act had graced the stage there.
As someone who loves electronic music and desires a future where it’s more accessible and accepted by the masses, I believe this show was a step in the right direction. I hope the San Diego County Fair continues to open itself to booking DJs to perform at its most significant stage in the years to come. It’s not just plenty of fun in the summer sun, but it will also be a welcoming experience for anyone who wants to dip their toes in dance music.
Zedd isn’t the only electronic act taking the stage at the San Diego County Fair this year, as Big Gigantic is slated to perform during the Summer Nights at The Sound series on Saturday, June 28. Tickets are on sale via the official website and include fair admission.
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