By: Angela Smith
Snowglobe Music Festival in South Lake Tahoe, California was an incredible experience. The lineup was stacked, the food and festival site were incredible, and the first two days had great weather. While it got about ten degrees colder on day three, I had a great time overall. Here are some highlights from the event.
Day One
1788-L
The first artist I caught on day one was 1788-L, the mysterious DJ well known for their collaboration with Rezz entitled “Hex.” The set was full of bass and had fans headbanging the entire time. The energy of the performance was perfect for day one, it got everyone excited for what was to come the rest of the weekend.
Said The Sky
Immediately after 1788-L was Said The Sky, a melodic producer from Denver, Colorado. His set was packed with fans singing the songs, and getting real deep into their feelings. While many of his tracks are centered around piano, there are plenty of heavy moments too. What really makes his set special is the addition of drummer Day Gatsby on many of the songs which adds the perfect amount of live elements into the show.
Rezz
Closing out night one on the main stage was Rezz. Her always incredible visuals lit up the night and the overall good vibes kept the crowd feeling warmer. Rezz is well known for her unique sound, but her ability to mix and blend it into other tracks live is what really makes her sets impressive. She was the perfect way to end an incredible day one.
Day Two
Hex Cougar
The first set I made it to on day two was Hex Cougar who I knew next to nothing about going into. Being the first artist at The Sierra stage that day, the crowd was fairly small when I showed up, but by the end of the set The Sierra was quite full. Everyone in the crowd looked like they were having a great time, and it seems Hex Cougar is definitely someone to look out for this year.
RL Grime
Later in the evening I caught RL Grime’s set. The main stage was crowded, and the second the lights dimmed, fans started cheering. Grime is fresh off the release of not one but two remix versions of his album “Nova” and fans were definitely excited. While the visuals were fairly simple, they all fit the music incredibly going from galaxies, to the logo, to even just videos of the stage or crowd. Each sequence had its moment and it just fit. The energy at the stage was high, and fans definitely left the other stages just for this set and it was well worth it.
Ekali
Just after RL Grime, I rushed to The Sierra to catch Ekali at his first set closing out a stage at a festival. Ekali impressed by showing off his incredible mixing skills and energy to match. He played plenty of tracks from his recently released Awakening 6 mix as well as plenty of tracks not featured in the mix. The combination of well known, as well as up and coming tracks made for a great way to discover new tracks and artists, the best way to end a night.
Day Three
Rae Sremmurd & Shoreline Mafia
The first two acts of day three were Rae Sremmurd and Shoreline Mafia, two of the biggest rap names on the lineup. The masses showed up early for these artists and the energy was different from the majority of the other sets throughout the weekend. The crowd was a lot rougher, and definitely went harder than during many of the other sets. Both these artists did a great job of interacting with the crowd, and getting them hyped for the rest of the night.
NGHTMRE b2b SLANDER
Following these two massive rap acts was NGHTMRE b2b SLANDER, who brought a ton of energy. The entire set was full of songs to headbang to and generally high energy songs from both artists as well as others. The set was filled with lots of pyro and other effects that only enhanced the incredible drops and mixes throughout. Both artists played long awaited unreleased tracks that had fans in the crowd very excited, as well as easily recognizable songs that had everyone in the crowd hooked right away.
Above & Beyond
Closing out the night with their special countdown time slot was Above & Beyond. Their sets, which are always filled with amazing vibes was even more special as they type out messages to the crowd. Despite the size of the festival, it has a special way of making the show feel more intimate and special. So much of the set just felt magical, whether that was due to the music, the visuals, or even just the fact that the year was coming to an end, so many people were gathered to end the year in the same incredible way. Even their staple of letting a fan “push the button” was done right around midnight which made the experience that much better for everyone involved. There really was no better way to end this incredible festival.
FEMME RIOT 