This year’s FreakNight 2015 was my second and once again USC Events showed that the music and production always saves the show even after a few hiccups. It’s no secret that the lines and security at festivals can get out of hand. The security was once again a real problem and I hope that one day USC can find the right security team to partner with.
The other big problem this year was the sound bleeding. This was one of the biggest challenges faced at this year’s festival and despite turning down the Midway of Mayhem stage on day 2, FreakNight 2015’s sound issue never really improved.
Despite these problems the Tacoma Dome did showcase the company’s visual production capabilities. The stunning LED visual combined with the decorations were incredible throughout the space. USC had these metal poles that were shaped into a sphere placed throughout the crowd areas. Dancers and people spinning poi were using these as platforms and this really added to the wow factor. Not to mention the main stage design was one of the best one’s I’ve seen. The canopy of LED screens that reached out over the crowd also really took my FN experience to the next level.
My favorite set of the night was Figure even though he had issues with his flight and only played 40 minutes. It was hands down the heaviest set of the weekend and pretty impressive considering how his night had gone.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3mGPDejbsk]
Tied for my second favorite set of the night was SKiSM B2B LAXX and Dirtyphonics. This is only the second time SKiSm and LAXX have done a B2B and I didn’t question leaving once. My phone couldn’t even handle the bass in the video.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uW65NaCgMrs]
Dirtyphonics holds a special place in their heart for Seattle as it was one of the first cities they played during their first North America tour. It was one of the heaviest sets I’ve heard from them and they did a great job interacting with the crowd.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UD9IFX3hGwg]
Other sets worth mentioning are Will Sparks, Nero, Bad Royale, Sub Focus and Infected Mushroom. I don’t think it’s possible for Will Sparks to put on a bad show. He has so much energy. Since I had already seen Nero this month I choose to catch the second half and it was very similar to the set I had already seen. This was my first time seeing Bad Royale and I was really impressed by how heavy their hybrid trap was. Sub Focus showed attendees what good drum and bass sounds like and Infected Mushroom kept it classic.
I’m not sure anyone was particularly thrilled when it was announced that FreakNight would be at the Tacoma Dome but with that said I wouldn’t be mad if they had another festival there again. Hopefully they can figure out the sound bleeding issue so I can enjoy the other stages a bit more.
Stay tuned later this week where we show off our favorite FreakNight fan photos.
