North Coast Music Festival Day One: A Steady Start
By Staff in Arts & Entertainment on Aug 30, 2014 6:45PM
The party has officially begun in Union Park.
North Coast Music Festival kicked off yesterday bringing smooth pop vocalists, hardstyle DJs and everything in-between to the cozy park on the near West Side. The festival's fifth anniversary opened on a high note as concertgoers were spared the majority of the rain and nasty weather that had been promised throughout the week. React Presents' penchant for a diverse lineup brought a perfect mixture of music fans to the park, forming a distinct crowd that will only grow as the weekend continues. - Robert Martin
Chet Faker kicked off the day at the festival's larger 312 Stage. The Australian singer is solidifying himself as not just a Flume associate, but as a serious solo act that can hang with the likes of Sam Smith and others who've broken out after appearing in dance tracks. - Robert Martin
The decision to kick off the weekend with crooner Chet Faker was an interesting one. His R&B-meets-electronica songs (including one of the most interesting takes on "No Diggity" this writer has ever heard) sounded great, but clearly weren't the type of party starters the crowd was looking to start their weekend with. There was a near constant ebb and flow in front of the stage throughout Faker's performance as attendees went in search of faster tempos. - Katie Karpowicz
Australian acts had a strong grip on the afternoon as What So Not took to the shadier 630 Stage for a set of bouncy tracks that kept the crowd going. A joint collaboration between DJs Flume and Emoh normally, this live set instead only featured Emoh. Working in track after track, Emoh seemed just as excited as his rowdy crowd. This was a perfect warmup for a night that was heavy on the electronic side of things. - Robert Martin
Funk is a polarizing genre but, if you do like it, you probably loved Lettuce's set yesterday. Of all the performances we saw, none were so clean and dirty at the same time as the East Coast seven-piece's set. Each player took no time in finding the groove and keeping their part tightly locked in. The early evening set continued the chilled, but focused, vibes into the night's biggest performances. - Katie Karpowicz
Top honors for the most entertainingly confused moment of North Coast's first day go to husky, red-haired rapper Action Bronson, hands down. Mid-set, the MC decided to jump off stage, run across Union Park's field and hop onto the opposite stage, declaring, "The show's over here now." The gag was an amusing one until there was an audible pop and the mic cut out. Watching confused Coasties unsure of which stage to gravitate towards was a highlight for sure.
Bronson was great...when he was actually performing. Just as things were heating up three or four songs in, he left the stage for a considerable amount of time while a colleague (a poll of people around me revealed the name was inaudible to all) rapped on a couple of tracks. Following that absence, Bronson ended his set a full 20 minutes early. Fans who wanted as much Action as the hour set time could allow had a right to feel shortchanged. - Katie Karpowicz
It's hard to believe this writer wasn't more excited about Bassnectar's headlining set last night. Maybe it was just the sheer number of times he's been through town in the past few summers. Anticipation wasn't high and, having seen him many times, I did not expect anything different. Then I remembered why some electronic artists rise to "headliner" status while others remain mid-level acts. They're better than most. Bassnectar's set was a respectable example of letting the beat build and growing momentum by revisiting samples throughout the night—you know, things DJs are supposed to do. The first third that I caught was a far cry from the generic "dubstep" label he often gets tossed in with. Let's not forget, Bassnectar came from the days when "EDM" was still "electronica" and guys like Eliot Lipp still ruled the realm. - Katie Karpowicz
Facing off against low-end master Bassnectar for the Friday night headlining slot, Swedish DJ Alesso proved that he has graduated to the mainstage. The set was the sort of ravey spectacle that has come to characterize this scene in every visual format. The steam cannons, the lasers, and the massive video screens were all an extension of the sound that's been pumping out of Sweden for the last decade. Those less inclined to the extremities of a Bassnectar live show were served well here. Alesso's range of music goes from big-house tracks to straight pop like the new single, "Heroes," and this variation was on display all throughout his hour-and-15-minutes on stage. - Robert Martin
How ProbCause is not a huge deal in rap music is beyond us. The Evanston/Rogers Park rapper is a blast to spend an hour with. In addition to rattling off animated raps from his well received The Recipe Vol. 2 mixtape and latest Waves EP, the local MC had some special surprises in store. Taylor Bennett, Saba, The Palmer Squares and other local artists hopped up on stage to share songs and Prob was never against taking time to let his drummer Cofresi groove over random tracks like Disclosure's "Latch." The set reminded us of how hot the smoldering hip hop community in Chicago is right now and why taking a break from obvious choices at festivals like North Coast in order to catch smaller acts ready to prove something is rarely a bad move. - Katie Karpowicz
North Coast continues today with a wider variety in its closing acts that include the always psychedelic STS9, the once great Kid Cudi, and standard raver fare. Nicky Romero. The festival also opens at 1:30 today, making sunscreen and plenty of water essential. - Robert Martin