Forever Festival @ Freedom Hill Amphitheatre (9/19/14 - 9/20/14) [Review]

 
Review by: Trenton D'Amico

What a weekend at Freedom Hill this two day event blew me away with it's expansive range of dance music! Going from house, to trap, and into the grimiest dubstep you've ever heard all in a matter hours. The Forever Stage was the events main stage and was surely a sight to see. A slight change in the second stage kind of put a damper on the atmosphere but the tented local stage gave us a interesting look some very talented up and coming artists. 

Day 1

I started my day off with the Nervo girls. This dynamic duo gave the crowd a taste of some house music and even a little bit of trap. Nervo said in the beginning of their set, they'd play only one trap song, and they stayed true to their word. The energy that was behind this set made it what it was and I'm sure most would agree. About half way through their set it started to really fill up. I went into this show a bit blind not knowing much from Nervo and I was very impressed. They were a great opener for Krewella!

About half way through Nervo I snuck over to the Local Stage and said what up to K@Dog. A local talent from the Detroit area that has been moving the feet of music lovers for years. Known for his grimy bass music and glitchy beats K@dog is always a must see. Casually puffing on his electronic cigarette while tearing up the headlining spot on the day one local stage! Although the music was on point, the crowd was not. An unfortunate turn out on the local stage while most prepared for the nights main stage headliner! 

Day one was nearing it's end but first it was time for Krewella! I was expecting to see all three of them but only Jahan and Yasmine could make it. Warming us up with their hit "Party Monster" was a very wise decision and we were sure to let them know! At this point the place was packed and every had rushed to the front. The sisters continuously switched back and forth singing along with the crowd as they played some of our favorite tunes! About half way through the show they announced a special guess to come on stage and it was none other than Leighton from Adventure Club. Playing as well as singing "Rise and Fall" live! Being my third Krewella set, I was very pleased with the outcome of the first night! 

Day 2

The second day was combined with Rockstar's "Safe In Sound" Tour. (Check out more info on future dates and tickets here!) Though the storms had just begun, nothing was going to prevent this sold out day from happening. I didn't get the chance to see Terravita or Drew 32, but I did make it in time for Caked Up! They came on stage and together they ran the trap! The condensed crowd filled up the pavilion. Everyone was energized but you could tell the people were ready for Destroid!

Getting a first peak at the Destroid drum set got everyone fired up, it was almost time for the show. With about a 15 minute intermission between we waited patiently for the chaos to begin. The storm overhead enhanced the ambiance, lightning all around us the lights went down as the three aliens took their places. Destroid consists of three very talented artists, Excision, Downlink and KJ Sawka. The perfect team when it comes to grime. This rambunctious live dubstep performance continuously blasted the crowd with bass and no one could get enough. Sterling Heights has proudly been Destroid!

 

After I recovered from the
last act I had to prepare myself for Adventure Club. Starting out with some head banging bass music, they showed they were ready for business! These two proudly stood in front of their logo providing us with some of the greatest tracks in the industry. When they dropped their hit remix of "Crave You" the entire place went crazy. Blasting confetti into the air created the perfect theme at the time. I forgot how powerful that song is! Half way through Flux came on stage and started setting up. It was time!

Flux Pavilion was up and he was ready to slay. He made sure the crowd was ready too before he began with some hype on the mic. "Are you ready?" I instantly knew that was a trick question. Flux Pavilion went back into some early classic songs and he had the crowd in awe. With CO2 cannons coming from the ceiling as well as multiple spots on the stage, it was hard to not be. Not that far into his set he mixed into his huge "Recess" remix. He played this song at Counterpoint back in April before it came out and I've loved it ever since! Hearing it live gets me every time.

One thing that caught my attention was that Flux Pavilion mixed a little drum and bass into his set! I first heard the new DnB song when Funtcase played at a show earlier this year. Can't wait to hear it drop! Unfortunately all good things must come to an end at some point in time. Not before playing the famous remix of "Gold Dust" though. An encore that put the cherry on top of the night and still left me wanting more. Another fantastic year of Forever Fest is in the books and we look ahead to the next year we can all meet again!