Page 48 - Zone Magazine Issue 018

IMAGINE FESTIVAL 2017
IMAGINE FESTIVAL 2017
IMAGINE FESTIVAL 2017
magine breathing in fresh forest air, sitting on the greenest grass, and listening to 12th Planet murder his set. Or picture yourself eating chicken and
waffles on a stick fried in fruity pebbles while on the back of a golf cart listening to Deadmau5 rant about how he ate a hamburger for dinner. Imagine Music Festival keeps taking us all in by surprise. From night clubs to motor speedways, it is such an interesting transition to see put into play. This year’s lineup was as diverse as peanut butter and jelly and I was loving it.
gigantic stage with artists like Spag Heddy and Pretty
Lights playing music in the background. I danced my way through Chris Lake’s set then headed to main stage where I watched Zomboy and Flux Pavilion kill the crowd.
Deadmau5 trolled us into the night with his dark deep house interlude of him talking for what felt like a life time. I left the main festival grounds to find myself in the festivals camping grounds where I found free shaved ice cones. It felt amazing to feel the welcoming vibes on the festival camping grounds. Silent Disco on the campgrounds definitely creates a different atmosphere for an after hour party that a festival can not create. If you’re camping prepare to meet the chillest and the freaky festival goers. You know what they say, “the freaks come out at night”.
SUNDAY
Continuing from the night before, I was taking into account all the creative design that Imagine puts into making IMAGINARIUM a reality. I wish I had an award for every mermaid, theatrical performer, pyro tech, stage hand, and anyone else in the creative aspect of making Imagine Music Festival a world relatable to a modern day aquarium. Being able to see how flow artists, artists, and performers work was a huge understanding of why Imagine is what it is. It’s so hard to walk away from mermaids and the best laser show. However, I had leave Seven Lion’s set to watch Big Gigantic give the crowd yet another soulful set. The best thing is you can still see the laser show from the other side of the racetrack. My friends were also excited to see Above & Beyond close out main stage. The fireworks, the pyro, and the visuals were all on point for everyone’s set. This was my first time at Imagine so I had no idea how fun it would be see pirates and mermaids dance to Claude Von Stroke. It was an amazing experience to grasp so many theatrical performances at once.
Although I had an amazing time on the Speedway, I felt like there could be improvements on communication between the staff and security. When we arrived there was a lot of confusion with where everything was placed and who was allowed in certain places. But for the most part Imagine is still a baby compared to other festivals. They put together an amazing team that pulled an aquatic fairytale into a reality. I appreciate Imagine creating a platform for theatrical performers to enhance the setting that goes beyond music and a light show. I’d love to see how next years theme will be created.
Connect: http://www.imaginefestival.com Pics by Drew Dinwiddie
Words By Isabel Montoya
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SO MUCH ART!!
I couldn’t wait to see how they organized a festival this big within its fourth year. Imagine is still young in the festival game but they bring the sound where it’s needed. I appreciated seeing the different themes and music that coordinated with the stages. What makes Imagine special is the amount of effort put in creating the environment that enhances the artists performances. I did not expect to feel the contrast within all stages that dramatically when hopping stage to stage. The art installations were placed perfectly to create a the vibe for an aquatic utopia. It was refreshing to catch different sets transition smoothly into the atmosphere that Imagine creates with their production. Each stage had theatrical performers, fire spinners, hoopers, and people in costumes walking around in character. There’s even a pool filled with huge floaties and mermaids in the middle of the speedway.
FRIDAY
The first performance I saw was Leah Culver. I would of never thought I’d get the chance to see a kids choir sing to a festival crowd three times their age. I was impressed to see her coordinate such an opportunity for those kids at a festival setting. She was bringing out the kids in all of us during her set. Buku also played an awesome trap set at the Disco Inferno stage. My favorite set for Friday was definitely Deorro’s bounce set. I remember the day I saw this man in Vegas for his first show when he was Ton!c. Watching him move the crowd the way he does with his original tracks is exciting. I didn’t see anyone make the crowd dance the way he did. Right after, Tiesto pulled another legendary set with incredible fireworks and pyro. I loved looking in the crowd and seeing
the random floating giant jellyfish.
SATURDAY
Saturday hit hard for everyone in a good way and in a bad way. I really enjoyed Hippie Sabotage taking us through a whimsical journey with their uplifting sound. I was so happy to see live painters all lined up in front of the Amazonia Stage. Every artist created beautiful paintings by the end of the weekend. Watching each one draw a different perspective of their mood is really interesting to see, especially in front of a
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