Last Friday, I went to CounterPoint Music and Arts Festival celebrate my graduation. This was only the second music festival I've been to, but I've become a huge fan of electronic dance music, and festival season is a major part of the EDM culture. Last September, we went to TomorrowWorld (yup, my first fest was one of the most renowned and epic festivals in the world!). I wrote an article about it for The Sentinel, check it out! The festival experience is something completely indescribable, and I had really been itching to let loose, bob heads and go crazy with a bunch of wonderful free-spirited strangers.
This was CounterPoint's third year and, from what I've heard, it's most successful lineup (hard to imagine with Bassnectar performing the first year). But, it seems that this year had more of a variety of artists and DJs. It's a three-day festival, so most people took advantage of the camping. Vinnie is a huge fan of Zomboy, an artist that he introduced me to, and he was on the schedule for Friday night along with MK Ultra, Excision and Knife Party. We decided to get single day passes for Friday for a few reasons; we had an awesome wedding to go to on Saturday, and Sunday's lineup didn't wow us like Friday's did. I was so happy that CounterPoint offered single day tickets, and it was the perfect getaway. We were also lucky that the festival was only about an hour away. Some people travel for hours, or even fly into Atlanta to come to CounterPoint. Just like TomorrowWorld, this one was in our own backyard. I'm also super happy that I'm now halfway done with one of my 101 in 1001 goals; go to two new music festivals. I should have been more ambitious with this one, because I'm already eyeing another festival for this summer! Especially after getting a taste from CounterPoint. Here's the rundown from Friday Night.
After a pretty long wait to get through all of the security gates and will call, we were sure that we were late and had missed Zomboy's set. We didn't let the disappointment get to us, though. To get in, we had to walk through the campgrounds and caught a beautiful sunset that sparkled off of the fog that had set in.
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We headed straight to the bar, rounded up some drinks and went to check out the crowd and soak in the culture. People watching is one of the best parts of music festivals. I love checking out the crazy outfits and elaborate totem poles. We walked over a hill into the valley where the two stages stood on opposite sides of a gravel path. We stayed at The Steeple Stage for the whole night, but I did make sure I got a glimpse at the other stage before it got dark.
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Once we arrived near the stage, we heard the best news of the day. Zomboy's set had been postponed, and we didn't miss it after all! We were able to catch the tail end of MK Ultra's set. She's a ruthless and energetic DJ who has some serious skills. Seeing her live definitely made a fan out of me. She rocked the stage and got the crowd ready for Zomboy. We were able to meet up with a group of friends, and it was fun to really celebrate the beginning of summer in an epic way.
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I had been looking forward to seeing Zomboy all day, and he didn't disappoint! The venue really fed off of his energy. Zomboy's set seemed to go on forever, it was such an awesome feeling. The whole crowd was so into it, and he could tell. He read the crowd and the energy level and delivered the set we wanted.
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Next up was Excision. During the break, I was able to meet up with a friend at the front of the stage. I got a killer view of his opening set! I used to listen to Excision in high school, before I even knew that much about EDM. It was awesome to see him live! I was on my feet and moving the whole time. Glowsticks were flying, the crowd was hopping, and the bass was pounding. The show was so much fun. Knife Party rounded out the night, and definitely left the crowd feeling satisfied. I couldn't of asked for a better night!
I can't wait for next year, because I'm sure I'll be coming back to CounterPoint! Festival season is about to be in full swing. Let's hope I can get another one in this summer!
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