Phoenix Lights 2019: A Musical Abduction [Event Review]

Greetings, Phoenix Lights earthlings. Two weeks have now passed since the musical abduction took place in Chandler, Arizona and what a whirlwind it’s been.

Over the course of two days, April 5-6, thousands of festival goers witnessed history go down in celebration of Phoenix Lights fifth anniversary. The Park at Wild Horse Pass came to life with booming, out of this world performances, electrifying production, exquisite art installations, and an abundance of intergalactic goodies. The event grounds had everything you could possibly need from merch, munchies, smoothies, signature cocktails, water station, ranger outpost, and even a fully equipped chill out zone brought to you by iHeartRaves and Walter Productions.

Last year’s event was one for the books and this year followed suit. However, there was one major improvement from the previous year that we have to point out, the time change. Gates opened at 5 PM instead of noon, which resulted in cooler temps and a much more enjoyable festival experience. It was truly a game changer.

This year was the year of art cars. Walter Productions brought their magnificent Mona Lisa, a spaceship modeled art car with fire-spewing capabilities. It was truly a sight to see and a perfect fit for the festival’s theme. Another art car favorite was the Trolley Llama. The trolley doubled as an art gallery and a cozy lounge for attendees to relax during their dance breaks.

Now, on to what we all came to Phoenix Lights for… the music. Some of today’s hottest dance music acts landed and abducted our ears and hearts. The two-day event delivered otherworldly sets from artists such as Arty, Big Gigantic, Claude VonStroke, Decadon, Dillon Nathaniel, Doctor P, Elephante, Excision, Gerry Gonza, GRiZ, Lane 8, Malaa, Party Favor, Phantoms, San Holo, Sasha, Shiba San, Sikdope, Spencer Brown, Subtronics b2b Squnto, Whipped Cream, Yultron, and many more.

Some major day one highlights included Spencer Brown, Sikdope, Shiba San, Excision, and that fire local stage as a whole, Fallout. Spencer Brown took earthlings to another dimension and back with his smooth progressive sound. The Anjunabeats artist immersed the 360-degree tent, aka The Colony stage with his Ilan Bluestone collaboration, “Will We Remain?” and the breathtaking “Nightwalk” from his debut full-length album, Illusion of Perfection.

Sikdope was another favorite amongst our friend group. His name explains it all. He tore down the Invasion stage with his earth-shattering, soul-crushing, outer space-shaking bass.

The army green, jeep designed stage, Fallout was running on the beats of some of Arizona’s greatest local talent. The bill featured DJ/producers, Alaska, Animate, Disco Zombie, Frank Terry, Limbo, Lujan, Richi Savage, VAYN, Voodreau, and more.

The closers of the night consisted of Excision, Shiba San, Subtronics b2b Squnto, and VAYN. We split the concluding set between Shiba San and Excision. Shiba San did what he does best, got the crowd grooving to his flawless setlist, which included his new EP with Tim Baresko, Some More EP. Finally, Excision at main stage, Mothership. When Excision takes the stage, there is no shortage of bass or lasers. The man behind Lost Lands had bassheads throwing X’s up for “Vault” while confetti cannons exploded and lasers pierced the air.

The second and final day’s musical invasions included Phantoms, San Holo, Malaa, GRiZ, Sage Armstrong, Lane 8, Claude VonStroke, and Kaskade. Mothership had stellar back to back performances. Kicking things off with Phantoms, the duo got the party started with a high energy, diverse set, playing everything from Anti Up, Gorgon City, Botnek, and even, Eric Prydz.

San Holo brought out the guitar and blessed fans with his powerful stage presence and awe-inspiring originals from his latest project, album1. His set was followed by the masked mystery man, Malaa. Malaa abducted the crowd with his unique brand of house music, dropping hits like “Diamonds” and “Addiction.” GRiZ then graced the decks and took the live aspect to another level with his saxophone, hitting the crowd with waves of funk and soul.

Meanwhile at The Colony, Sage Armstrong transmitted ravers to “Another Planet” with his tech-driven beats. Lane 8 also had a phenomenal set. The This Never Happened label head has the special ability to make you forget where you are and just live in the moment, and he did just that as he captivated us with “Fingerprint” and his remix of Rüfüs Du Sol‘s “Innerbloom.”

Just like the initial night, day two’s closing set was broken up between two of our must-see producers, Claude VonStroke and Kaskade. Both very different styles, but both equally amazing. VonStroke had the Dirtybird fam going crazy and “Getting Hot” to his brand new single, while Kaskade threw it back to his roots with a redux set. Kaskade usually reserves his redux sets for smaller, more intimate shows, but he gifted it to the people of Phoenix Lights’ main stage. The veteran artist filled The Park with his singles, “Disarm You,” “No One Knows Who We Are,” “Never Sleep Alone,” “I Remember,” “Mercy,” “Last Chance,” and more.

There are several elements that make up a great festival: organization, ensuring attendee’s safety (shout out to the angels in green, Relentless Rangers,) a stacked lineup, and amenities. Phoenix Lights had all of these plus a major bonus, out of this world vibes! In just five years, the festival has seen so much growth and every year it seems to not only get bigger, but better. Happy fifth anniversary Phoenix Lights! We’ll see you again next year!

Special thanks to Relentless Beats and Caren West PR for the opportunity to cover Phoenix Lights Festival.

Connect with Phoenix Lights Festival:
https://www.facebook.com/phoenixlightsfestival
https://twitter.com/PHXLightsFest
https://www.instagram.com/phxlightsfest
http://phoenixlightsfest.com

Connect with Relentless Beats:
https://www.facebook.com/relentlessbeats
https://twitter.com/RelentlessBeats
https://www.instagram.com/relentlessbeats
http://relentlessbeats.com

---

Share On