Electric Daisy Carnival New York makes applaudable return to MetLifeALIVE Coverage For Insomniac @alivecoverage 7

Electric Daisy Carnival New York makes applaudable return to MetLife

New York’s installment — the stop on the road to Las Vegas — of Electric Daisy Carnival debuted at MetLife Stadium in 2012, only to relocate to Citi Field the following year. The Memorial Day Weekend centered festival has been under the microscope of the New York live event circuit, particularly in rivaling Labor Day Weekend‘s Electric Zoo, one that many New Yorkers have become comfortable calling home turf for (almost) six years. Finding itself in another rivalry of sorts, EDC set up shop this year, occupying the same weekend as Mysteryland’s stateside debut just over 100 miles way. However, in 2014, New York’s turn at the Carnival was a successful one, and one appreciated by 100,000 attendees — or headliners, if you speak Insomniac lingo. Albeit going head-to-head with the similar Woodstock-based festival, Insomniac provided a seamless weekend, tackling challenges from mother nature and delivering with signature style the rest of the way through.

From the moment gates opened at MetLife, there was more to taken in than just music — sights and attractions well improved. Installments of art and pyrotechnic sculptures, amusement park rides to put the ‘C’ in EDC, and more made for an applaudable attempt to transform an arena’s parking lot into an experience, and an experience that would be engulfing of all senses.

Electric Daisy Carnival New York makes applaudable return to MetLifeDoug Van Sant For Insomniac @dougvansant 2

Early moments of day one started at kineticFIELD, where the signature owl debuted at last year’s Vegas affair spanned with an array of color and lights, measuring in at 40-foot-tall by 70-foot-wide. Putting the larger-than-life bird to its greatest use early in the afternoon was Blau, who had his crowd singing along to Blink 182’s “All The Small Things” and jumping out of their shoes to Dada Life’s “Born To Rage” all within a moment’s time. Similarly, Bob Marley’s “One Love” had Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano uniting their crowd hours later and yards away. These two anecdotes are simply a sampling of the attendees attitude, but their passion went far beyond two sets, really determining the fate of the festival as a collective.

Rain began to fall, madness continued. That is, until it didn’t. The rain eventually began falling hard enough to put the festival on pause; no music, no dancing, but everyone seeking shelter and crossing fingers for sun. Fifteen minutes later, EDC was back on, (as indicated by the rumbles from the sound system), and the experience would go on uninterrupted through that day and the next.

By night fall, the HARD-hosted cosmicMEADOWwithin the stadium was packed out in arena fashion for the likes of Bassnectar and DJ Snake. Meanwhile, both kineticFIELD and circuitGROUNDS were something to marvel at — two main stages. Yes, two main stages. Where on Saturday Afrojack and and Hardwell would be going up against each other and supporting acts such as Martin Garrix, Krewella, and R3hab all in the mix between both massive edifices. The main stage duel had been even greater on Sunday, with both Tiësto and Steve Angello giving New York their best and sharing headliner slots.

Electric Daisy Carnival New York makes applaudable return to MetLifeALIVE Coverage For Insomniac @alivecoverage 9

In the grandest of Electric Daisy Carnival, each night had explosive fireworks displays, produced by the same team the arranged the fireworks show for the Olympic Games in Beijing — even the term “going out with a bang” wouldn’t give the nights’ ending enough credit.

A long way from its East Coast debut, its subsequent run at Citi Field, and a formidable festival in an area where there is no shortage of events, EDC proved why there truly is no competition. Putting the care into all areas of the experience and doing so in party with the philosophy of putting the fan first, Pasquale Rotella and Insomniac left no stone unturned this year, making for a triumphant return to the New York area.

Photo Credit: Doug Van Sant, aLIVE, Insomniac

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