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March 28, 2024

Moonrise Festival packs thrills into two days

By DUBRAY KINNEY | September 8, 2016

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BRANDON WILLIAMS/CC-BY-nc-nd-2.0 The Chainsmokers headlined their third event in Maryland following Spring Fair and InfieldFest.

The third annual Moonrise Festival returned to Pimlico Race Course for two days (Aug. 6 and 7). The festival’s focus on electronic dance music (EDM) with the occasional rap act proved successful, with the Race Course being packed for both days. The headliners for this year’s festival were Bassnectar, Tiesto, Zedd and The Chainsmokers (who played at last year’s Spring Fair).

The galactic-themed Moonrise Festival had four different stages: Stellar, Lunar, Celestial and Solar. Each stage had a different type of EDM associated with it, with the Solar stage being more trap-focused, the wonky-infused Celestial stage (featuring Louis Futon), the Stellar stage and its house-focused acts and the Lunar stage which served as the main space, with the biggest draws across multiple genres appearing there.

Day one of the festival culminated with a strong double-header in the overlapping sets of The Chainsmokers and Bassnectar which ultimately proved to be a smart idea. The audience at the Bassnectar show seemed to be older, with people in the mid-20s onwards choosing to see the much-acclaimed headliner. On the other hand, there was a younger crowd that piled in to see The Chainsmokers, with the majority of the fans being college-aged.

Either way, both sets were decidedly great, with cheers and hollers emanating across the campgrounds. The Bassnectar performance was, as advertised, heavy on the bass with an atmospheric feel, including multiple uses of complete silence that were effective.

The Chainsmokers on the other hand featured a non-stop party with songs that you could hear at any mall or frat party across America. They played through their hits, including “Closer” and “Roses.”

There were multiple acts preceding the headliners to take note of, including well-known California rapper Tyler, the Creator. As one of the only rappers billed on the festival’s set list, Tyler had high expectations coming into his show, especially considering the fact that the tone of some of his songs are out of place for a high-energy EDM festival. Tyler still managed to make his slower, downtrodden songs work, while also bringing up the energy with multiple songs that got the crowd jumping (including his set-closer, “Tamale” from 2013’s Wolf).

The most striking thing about Tyler’s performance was his stage presence and his ability to weave playful banter into his songs, which in turn made his 45-minute set feel brisk and fresh.

Prior to that performance, Bear Grillz performed with rapper Famous Dex at the Solar Stage. Dex brought an infectious energy to the stage with his performance as he climbed above the DJ stand shirtless, with his red braids ripping back and forth in the air as he vigorously shook his head (and at one point even put his face directly onto a booming speaker).

Day two of Moonrise finished with the overlapping performances by Zedd, Claude VonStroke, LNY TNZ and Excision, once again splitting the audiences in an interesting way. LNY TNZ and Excision both garnered similar audiences, college-age people with a more aggressive sensibility to EDM music (with mosh pits dominating the venue).

Zedd, known for his relationship with Selena Gomez and Chainsmokers-esque Top 40 house music, called together a similar, but larger crowd to the aforementioned Chainsmokers.

Finally, Claude VonStroke’s more traditional house music seemed to be where the older members of the audience ended up, with younger crowd members ending up there as well. Altogether, Zedd and VonStroke both commanded the more diverse crowds of the night.

Over at the Solar stage, Caspa and Rusko (billed as Caspa vs. Rusko) brought a full-on dubstep attack to the stage. Both artists were placed perfectly, both in terms of their spot on the bill, as well as their stage. The duo’s insane beats and kinetic tones fit perfectly in the sweaty, throbbing atmosphere that was the Solar stage.

As the Pimlico slowed to a complete halt for the first time in two days, there were already talks about Moonrise 2017. One thing that was for certain, however, was that Moonrise 2016 proved to be one of the best festivals of the year in the D.C./Maryland/Virginia area.


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