Porter Robinson Brought Nurture To The Rocks

Porter Robinson Brought Nurture To The Rocks

Porter Robinson is a name that echos through the EDM scene, as he has continuously influenced the genre since debuting with Spitfire in 2010. Even Billboard acknowledged that he was gonna be a force for years to come by having him on their list of 21 people under 21 to watch. This was a prolific start to an already storied career. Porter’s last time performing at Red Rocks was under his DJ moniker Virtual Self in 2018, but this time, he brought a full-fledged tour to Red Rocks to open the season.

The Concept Of The Tour

Porter is extremely meticulous in every aspect of his tours to properly present his vision. Each artist brings something different to the table, but everything blends seamlessly. You rarely see an artist able to curate a lineup that feels like each act is on the same label. Most importantly, this tour had one goal, and that was to give Porter the confidence to break out in full sing-a-longs. This is where Porter can allude to the tour and album’s name, Nurture.

Porter Opening For Himself

There was a mysterious act double-booked for both nights, which started right at doors and played for an hour and a half. Most people have never heard of Air To Earth, and little did people know that this was actually Porter Robinson. This is an ambitious feat as it puts him collectively playing three and a half hours of music, of which two hours of it is all performed live. It’s a sight to behold whenever an artist can pull this off at the extreme altitude of Red Rocks while performing at the highest level.

The Curated Artists

We briefly discussed how Porter is meticulous with the artists that he brings along on tour, but the placement of each act was perfect. The highs from Air To Earth led right into Qrion, then Wavedash takes control of the audience with their powerful and intricate style. All of this is topped off with day-specific artists Machinedrum and Magdalena Bay. Both of these artists set the floor perfectly for Porter to give in his own words, his best performances in ten years.

Porter’s Best Performance In Ten Years

He has come out and ranked these performances above his own music festival Second Sky performances. This is unique, but it is only possible by being as calculated as possible, and continuous tweaking. Songs that were once hard to imagine being played live were instant highlights. Most notably, Wind Tempos, which went from sweet melodies to jumping rhythms. For the encore, one of the main singles off of Nurture, Get Your Wish, feels like a perfect goodbye to a world. It was the vision of, “It will serve you in due time” coming to a reality. Clearly, the peak of emotions for Porter after pouring his craft on stage.

“Thank You, I’ll Say Goodbye Now”

To conclude what was a visually and soundly outstanding performance, he finished with a sing-a-long to Goodbye To A World. Almost hinting that he will be back, and to our surprise, he announced the return of the Second Sky Music Festival in late October. A world that he can control while having more control to fully immerse everyone into his vision. The crowd was brought to tears with all of us saying goodbye, but knowing this won’t be the last journey we share. It’s the perfect ending to what has been a memorable return to Red Rocks for the first shows of the season.

Photos by Patrik Essy

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Breaking News: Phoenix Lights Has Landed in Arizona

Breaking News: Phoenix Lights Has Crash-Landed in Arizona

As the sun sets on the Arizona horizon, Phoenix Lights: Altered Orbit beamed down and crash-landed for the weekend. This out-of-this-world two day festival, produced by Relentless Beats, abducted the EDM community and left no crumbs when it came to revamping this beloved event. The return of Phx Lights has been long-awaited and fans have been beaming with excitement to experience it again.

Location, Layout, and Production

Phx Lights calls Phoenix Raceway home for the weekend of April 1st and 2nd. This new festival property is located in Avondale, AZ which is only 20 minutes outside Downtown Phoenix. Parking was easy and so was finding the box office and entry lines. ADA parking was also available with no charge for either lots. Entrance and exit of the property went very smoothly with minimal traffic. 

I really appreciated the huge open space and how Relentless Beats was able to utilize it for the attendee’s benefit. This never used before location was able to fit not only RB’s megastructure, but also a very attention-grabbing VIP area, loads of food and drink stands, shop vendors, a silent disco, an art car stage, Monster semi-trucks, and various art installations. There was also plenty of room for dancing and the crowd never felt squished. 

The two-day event also featured three stages known as the Mothership, the Invasion, and the Fallout.

Line up

Attendees could feel the cosmic energy flowing through the crowd when multiple phenomenal artists took the stage this past weekend. 

Day 1 featured Griz, Liquid Stranger, Rusko, Champagne Drip, Smoakland and Proper

Day 2 featured RL Grime, Zomboy, Flosstradamus, Jansten, Leotrix, and Saas

Besides the infamous megastructure, Phoenix Lights also had a silent disco that was hosted by BeatBox Beverages and they had an art car stage that featured new and upcoming artists along with local favorites. To name a few, we were able to experience the styles of Dark Mark, VooDreau, Electric Polar Bears, Medicine Mike, Peachy Keen, and more. Fans were able to get their fix of dubstep, house, techno, trance, dnb, and various other genres throughout the weekend!

Sponsors, Vendors, and Art

Phoenix Lights had so many incredible sponsors showing their love and support this past weekend! To name a few, fans were able to see and get more information on Monster Energy, Bud Light, Kona Brewing Co., Project Rave, White Claw Hard Seltzer, and more.

To fill all your rave accessories and needs, there were plenty of shop vendors to choose from! Attendees were able to shop from Kandies World, Kritter Klips, Elite Wear, We Rave Hard, and more. 

To view the full list of sponsors and vendors, you can do so here

Some art installations included multiple spots for photo ops and a mural letting attendees know that “YOU ARE AMAZING” by Jayarr.art

Bringing art to life this weekend, the Weird & Wonderful Cast were there and performed in various locations throughout the festival grounds.

Conclusion

I would 100% recommend Phoenix Lights to my fellow festival lovers. Relentless Beats is constantly evolving with every show they put on and I am so excited for their future plans. Be sure to follow all of RB’s socials for the most up to date information regarding upcoming events. And be sure to be on the lookout for the official afterparty movie of Phoenix Lights: Altered Orbit.

Photos by Alexander Peet