The upside to a stacked festival lineup is an unparalleled musical experience, with a day’s worth of great moments.
The downside is that fans will inevitably have to choose between compelling acts playing on competing stages.
That was certain to be the case at Goldrush Festival: Midnight Riders, which kicked off Friday at Rawhide Western Town in Arizona. When the lineup was released earlier this week, dialogue emerged over having to choose between global superstar Alesso and rising star ALLEYCVT in the opening-night headline slot. That discourse did not even account for the fact that Chicago legend Green Velvet was playing the Hideout Stage.
Headline Planet ventured between all three sets, and to put it simply, one could not have gone wrong. Alesso delivered a spectacle befitting his headliner status, Green Velvet provided an enthralling moment for longtime fans, and ALLEYCVT made her case as one of the big breakouts.
Astute observers, however, were not simply concerned about choosing a main event act. They were also focusing on the choice between Midnight Tyrannosaurus and Sullivan King in the ~10-11:25PM PT window. With creative visions and high-energy performance styles, both have cultivated reputations for unforgettable live experiences.
Both truly delivered, easily providing the night’s most raucous “big stage” moments.
Midnight T’s set was as immersive as it gets, providing the transformative experience one hopes to receive from an electronic concert.
Sullivan King’s fusion of metal resonated with the packed Golden Gorge audience, yielding the kind of set one hopes to encounter live. He may be a polarizing presence in online circles, but in this live moment, the energy was universally resonant. He was a night one standout.
The artist contributed to a relentlessly engaging main stage atmosphere that built to Alesso’s climactic moment. Earlier in the night, MitiS proved that a smoother, melodic set could still make waves. It might not have attracted the crowd interest or frenetic dancing of the heavier, more established headliners – but it set the tone nicely for what was to come.
The always-reliable ac slater followed, offering a set that was packed with energy – and drawing what would become a packed stage area.
After Sullivan King elevated that atmosphere, Deadmau5 and Alesso closed with their expected A-list swagger.
That breakdown confirms how well-curated the Goldrush main stages are. One can stay at Golden Gorge (or Pioneer’s Peak, where ALLEYCVT, Boogie T, and Midnight T shined) and not feel as if they are missing out on a balanced, artistically stellar experience.
Granted, those who were willing to walk around did not regret it. The combination of food vendors, brand activations, and even a retro gaming lounge made the eight-hour night feel too short.
The festival continued Saturday with a pool party hosted by DJ Pauly D. The “Jersey Shore” breakout will also be one of the Golden Gorge performers at the festival, joining a main stage lineup that includes names like it’s murph, GRiZ, and Martin Garrix. Rossy, Know Good, and Ray Volpe are among the standouts set to play Pioneer’s Peak.
