Jack U and The Weekend bring diverse Music to Hard

Summer Festival 2015

Hard Summer, the ongoing premiere edm

music festival in southern California, brought a
huge sold out crowd to the Pomona Fairplex for
two days, August 1st and 2nd. The festival, the
brain child of promoter Gary Richards, began in
2007, and has morphed into an annual, multi
event cornucopia of edm music. Events now
include the Hard Summer, as well as the Hard
Day of the Dead festival, an annual cruise and a
whole host of related one off concerts. The
festival, which began in downtown Los Angeles,
has found a new home the last two years at the
massive Pomona Fairplex. With summer
temperatures soaring into the high 90s, some of
this years new features, including an air
conditioned chilling station, (a big empty air
conditioned building), proved quite popular.
While many found different ways to escape the oppressive heat, other scantily clad concert goers,
(as is the custom at most edm gatherings), embraced the conditions spraying each other continually
with water. The soggy sweaty masses engulfed the five stages and surrounding Fairplex. Just like
last year the festival featured five stages. Three large (tent) stages, featuring nearly nonstop music
from some of edms top djs, offered more respite from the blazing sun. But the large Hard stage
featuring a more eclectic mix of music and the massive Harder stage, with a roster of edms top
talent, were ground zero for most music fans.

L Paul Mann
Day 1 Memorable moments included:
A particularly fierce early evening set by dj Destructo on the Pink stage. His real name is Gary
Richards. Yes the same Gary Richards that founded the festival back in 2007. His smaller stage set
had less of the glitz and glam of his main stage appearances in previous years, but the music was
just as intense, invoking a trance like dance frenzy from the packed crowd around him. His mixing
skills showcase his twenty years experience as one of the most influence proponents of modern edm
music.ScHoolboy Q was set to hit the main stage at 6.30, but technical difficulties kept the show
from beginning for another twenty minutes. In the meantime, dozens of delirious fans were being
hoisted out of the huge steaming audience, as the relentless summer sun began to take a heavy toll.
When the southern California hip hop artist and his band finally took the stage, he apologized for the
delay, blaming a long list of behind the scenes people for the delay. It was unfortunate that set was
cut so short, as the rapper made a great juxtaposition between main stage edm djs. His rap style was
refreshing and his crack band of live musicians gave his sound real dimension.William Grigahcine,
better known as dj Snake made a surprise appearance as the next unannounced act on the massive
main stage. The French edm artist who mixes hip hop and electronic music is best known for his
mega nightclub hit Turn Down For What. He had a huge crowd gyrating to well known hooks in his
songs.The Weekend, arguably the biggest mainstream music star of the festival, took over the Hard
stage at dusk. The set time benefited from cooler temperatures and an explosion of color, light and
multimedia that brought the performance alive. For many who attended his pair of Coachella
performances last spring, he stole the show at that venerable festival. The crowd literally looked like
they were swooning when the experimental R&B singer sauntered onstage and signaled his band of
impeccable musicians to begin. The singer may have one of the most pleasant singing and rapping
voices in modern pop music. Added to his set were covers of Beyoncs Drunk in Love and his
collaboration with Ariana Grande, Love Me Harder. But it was his final two songs that had the
enamored crowd glued to the performer, singing along to every word on the nightclub hit I Cant
Feel My Face and the ballad Earned It from Fifty Shades of Grey. Inexplicably, the set ended
early.Ironically, the next and last set on the Hard stage by The Chemical Brothers, was probably the
longest set of the night lasting nearly two hours. It seems that the recent trend in this ADD
generation is for festivals to have more and more performers with shorter and shorter set times. But
fortunately these elder statesmen of the Manchester edm music scene were able to play a full set,
showcasing their music, some of which dates back to 1989. The band played songs from their great
new album Born in the Echoes, including Sometimes I Feel So Deserted, and house music grooves
like Star Guitar and their biggest dance hits, Galvanize and Block Rockin Beats.Over on the Harder
stage, the evening ended with a massive lights, fireworks and multi media orgy, featuring sets by
Porter Robinson playing much of his Worlds album and Dillon Francis. The headlining Los Angeles dj
mixed just about everybody he ever collaborated or listened to into his mash up of dance trance
music.
Day 2 Memorable moments:
Jamie xx may be the newest old school dj, mixing actual vinyl. The Englishmans infusion of classic
funk, jazz and blues into edm has made him one of the most popular alternative djs of late. Mixing
classic New York house with Chicago acid house, he wrapped up the set up with his own solo track,
Loud Places, featuring, Romy Madley Croft, his band mate from the group xx.
There is nobody to compare Die Antwoord to. The South African rapping duo, who have created their
own kind of music rapped in the mystique of the obscure Afrikaans language. The sardonic couple
describe themselves as "zef rap-rave" ("zef" being roughly equivalent to the English word bling").

The pair, along with their trusty dj, Hi-Tek in his trademark guerrilla mask and back up singers,
bolted on to the stage dressed in brightly colored Pokemon and Pikachu costumes. Tall lanky Ninja
and tiny squeaky voiced Yolandi quickly worked the crowd into a sweaty dance frenzy.The
anarchistic, irreverent duo produce perhaps the most original music since The Sex Pistols reinvented
rock. Their infamous live shows almost invariably find the pair slowly disrobing throughout the set,
until they are naked or next to naked. The tall bodied Ninja is always compelled to stage dive and
crowd surf during every live performance, while the salacious Yolandi sensuously twerks about in
every nook and cranny of the stage. The infectious grooves of their music are truly unique and their
own invention. If their appearance alone wasnt enough to ignite the crowd, a surprise appearance by
a portly Jack Black in a warm up track suit sealed the deal. The profusely sweating comedian turned
rocker, sang along with the band. Then he told a short anecdote about how he had to climb the fence
to get in because no one gave him a stage pass. By the time he disappeared backstage and the band
ended their set with the song I Feel Freeky, the whole crowd was jumping in unison.
The Hard stage continued to offer up the most eclectic music of the festival, with Chromeo taking
over just before dusk. This Canadian duo from Montreal make their own sound as well, a funky
electronica infused fresh sound. Dave 1 and P-Thugg brought their explosive funky mix to the Hard
Summer crowd, with their hit songs like Bonafied Lovin (Tough Guys) and Sexy Socialite.
As the sun faded and darkness fell over the gargantuan Harder stage, Los Angeles dj RL Grime
whipped the massive crowd into a frenzy playing much of his debut album Void and some of his most
well known collaborations as well. A spectacular multi media show exploded in a visual volcano of
lights around him.
The hottest edm collaboration of the summer closed the show, with djs Diplo and Skrillex performing
as Jack U. Skrillex skateboarded on stage while Diplo came out on a personal people mover, the two
waving giant American and California flags. The action was non stop for the entire set, with the pair
taking turns on the mic and bolting into the crowd or mixing masterful beats in the towering dj
booth. If that wasnt enough to send the crowd into euphoric frenzy, guest appearances by rapper
2Chains, Keizhsa, and Justin Beiber, (all contributors to the Jack U album), sealed the deal. The duo
offered up spectacular remixes of (Drakes Energy and Beyonces 7/11), as well as their original hit
track(Major Lazers Lean On). The not such a surprise appearance by Justin Bieber, featured the Jack
U hit that he collaborated on, Where Are U Now.
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