Yesterday is history, today is a gift, and tomorrow will surely be the day you wish you were back at Mysteryland USA 2015. This past Memorial Day Weekend, Mysteryland Music & Arts Festival made its second coming to the United States on the historical Bethel Woods grounds. The grounds are most famously known for holding Woodstock in 1969, but this year the Mysteryland team put on a spectacle that might’ve even given Woodstock a run for its money.
When first arriving onto the festival grounds you’re instantly taken in by the beautiful scenery of the Bethel Woods and can feel the history that has taken place on these grounds. Huge open fields surrounded by natural beauty give you the sense that you are about to experience something special.
Friday night was the pre-party for those lucky enough to have a camping pass. Mysteryland had 5 of its stages open for the campers to get a nice warm up for the days to come. Despite the long and hilly walk, getting onto the festival grounds was such a satisfying feeling for everyone. You could catch acts during the day at the Beatport Big Top Tent such as Tropkillaz, GTA and A-Trak whom all played a wide assortment of electronic music for all to enjoy.
The infamous Boat Stage was home to many up and coming DJs who all seized their opportunity and put on fantastic performances. One stand out performance at this stage was Fight Clvb, who played a variety of heavy electro, Jersey Club and Moombahton to keep the crowd rocking his whole set.
The end of the night became a serious dance party with techno legends Josh Wink, Maceo Plex and Richie Hawtin closing out the night. If you have never experienced a techno set, I highly recommend seeing one of these OG’s; Hawtin played a masterly crafted set which kept your adrenaline pumping the whole time waiting for the next climax. Despite the temperature dropping into the low 40’s, camper’s morals were not tampered with and could still be heard enjoying their night at their campsites into the wee hours of the morning.
Saturday
On Saturday, performances were set to start at 1pm on the festival grounds, but campers were treated to the Breakfast Club where they could catch live music as well as get some fantastic food to kick-start your day. DJ Suga Ray set the tone of the day by showing off some “real djing” skills by perfectly scratching and cutting up everyone’s favorite throwback tunes. There wasn’t a single song that he played that you couldn’t sing along to.
The first stop for most festival goers was The Boat stage which had a bass fueled lineup all day long. Early on in the day acts such as Space Jesus and Manic Focus had the attendees feeling some type of way with their bass wobbles giving off an infectious sway to everybody in the area. JackLNDN would grace the stage mid day with an incredible mix of deep and future house ending with a great rendition of the classic song “We Are Family” which made everyone grab their closest friend and pull them into a tight hug.
Besides the music, the festival offered a great variety of activities, art and food for everyone to enjoy. You could chill out at the hookah bar, check out some amazing sculptures by local artists or go see a life size game of mouse trap. If it was time to refuel with some food, there was no trouble in finding something to eat. A great variety of foods were offered including BBQ, Mexican and vegetarian.
As the sun went down the Main Stage was in full effect and packed from front to back. Mysteryland did a superb job creating their main stage lineup this year offering a great variety of acts that one may not normally see on a main stage roster.
Madeon jumped on for a sunset time-slot and had his audience captivated the entire time. Madeon performed in his true nature pumping out songs left and right on his novation pads. We heard classic Madeon tracks as well as new cuts from his album Adventure perfectly mixed with some of today’s hottest records.
After the high energy performance of Madeon, deep house sensation Robin Schulz would take the stage next. Playing all his biggest hits, Schulz had the crowd feeling good and intimate. Even though the stye of music wasn’t as energetic as the previous set, the energy did not die.
Next was possibly one of the most anticipated acts of the weekend, Kygo. He took the stage and opened up with his highly popular remix of Ed Sheeran’s “I See Fire” and the crowd was instantly hooked. Kygo played all his biggest remixes and had the crowd at his fingertips. He went into some faster tempos than normal which gave the crowd a good range of energy. One of the highlights of his performance was dropping MYNGA’s remix of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” which had the crowd in a mass feeling of euphoria. He closed his set off with his latest single “Stole The Show” and he couldn’t have closed with a more perfect song.
To top off the action packed day would be a live set from Porter Robinson. Emotional would probably be the best word to describe this performance. Porter created a feeling inside each person that was truly magical, he put his heart and soul into the performance and touched us deeply. Tears of happiness rolled down the faces of many in the audience.
Sunday
As Sunday came it was hard to believe that the final day of Mysteryland was upon us. After grabbing some great breakfast burritos from one of the food stands, the first stop was the Webster Hall curated tent for some deep and funky house.
Girl power was evident on this stage, starting off with Nora En Pure whose song selection was just as beautiful as she was. Followed by Mija whose eccentric style got the crowd getting down and dirty on the dance floor. Next, Anna Lunoe took to the stage and had the dance floor under control and going crazy with some deep tunes and dirty drops. All three proved that the female presence is more than just good looks. Much Respect!
Now let’s go back almost 50 years…closing out Woodstock was the legendary Jimmy Hendrix. One of the most iconic things he did during his performance was playing a rendition of the Star Spangled Banner. Fast forward to 2015 and the master of bounce, TJR, opened his set with that same iconic track paying tribute to those music lovers and artists that came before us. After that TJR turned The Boat stage into The Bounce Boat. Slated by many as the best performance of the weekend, TJR was dropping banger after banger and scratching away like only he can. After a stellar performance, he closed out with the Isley Brothers “Shout” which sent everyone into a frenzy.
Before heading to see the closing acts of the mainstage, it was back into the Webster Hall tent one last time to check out French DJ Klingande. Klingande, known for having live saxophone in his performance, truely delivered a beautiful set. Dropping huge tracks like his remix of Avicii & Wyclef Jean’s “Divine Sorrow” and the famous “Jubel,” Klingande had the dance floor feeling merry.
During Dillon Francis’ set he said to the crowd, “Everybody gets one Tiesto moment, and this is my Tiesto moment,” as he dropped his track “Without You” mid-way through his set. Dillon absolutley had a “Tiesto Moment” when he played the Main Stage melting faces left and right. A set filled with many unreleased tracks including many off of his new Moombahton EP. New collaborations with Skrillex, Calvin Harris and What So Not made their way into his set which left us with an unforgettable performance.
For the final act we saw the Major Lazer & Jack U member Diplo close it out. It was hard to believe that this was his first time ever closing a festival here in the United States. He kept the energy going up giving a wide blend of music from rap to deep house and even some rock, we heard it all and loved it all. But what would a Diplo show be without having some girls twerking on stage? Even though they told him not to, he couldn’t resist and had a group of girls in front of and on the stage shaking what their mommas gave them.
As the final firework display went off emotions were high as everyone reflected back on their amazing experience at Mysteryland. There was something magical for everyone whether it was discovering a new artist, making new friends, or getting to live your dream by shaking your butt on stage with Diplo. The memories made at this festival will not be forgotten.
Mysteryland USA has put itself in a great position as a contender for one of the top festivals in the United States. They can only go up from here and can’t wait to see what is in store for 2016.
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