Written by Hayden Fischer
Photos by Chase Pope
Introduction – Arizona’s favorite Valentine’s Day-themed show, Crush, just happened on February 16th, 2017 and was known for its perfect opportunity to take your valentine out. I hope you attended this year if you are reading this because it was the perfect gift for Valentines Day, a place to have a ball dancing the night away with that special person. The diversity of DJ’s throughout the night made for one great lineup including Yellow Claw, DVBBS, SAYMYNAME, BTSM, and others.
Music genre – It was a mix of genres that included Electro, House, Trance, and Trap.
Camping: No
Capacity: Small(10-20k)
Crowd type: College Students and Ravers wearing Valentine’s Day themed costumes with red, white, and pink colors.
Water stations: Yes
For The First Timers – Crush is an exciting event that is a blast to attend with your valentine or your friends! This year it poured, which made the ground really muddy, so be sure to dress warm and be ready to embrace the possibility of mud. Rain or shine, Crush still rages on.
Standout Food – There were a bunch of food vendors at the event to choose from. My favorites were the chicken fingers and fries, they make a great snack for in between sets.
Musical Highlights – Before Crush, I had never heard of the DJ that goes by SAYMYNAME. SAYMYNAME has created a crazy genre that mixes hardstyle and trap, that he calls HARDTRAP. He threw down a crazy set that started off the night on a wild note. His ridiculous drops had the crowd headbanging like crazy. This guy is on his way to big things, so make sure you check him out.
Things To Do — Due to the pouring rain and mud everywhere, the back area of the tent was the spot to hang out, keep warm, and take a break during sets.
VIP or Nah — In my opinion VIP wasn’t worth it this year, the crowd wasn’t too packed and having to find space wasn’t a big issue. Consider attending as general admission in the future.
Story Corner –The second you arrived at Crush, you could feel the positive vibes right away. Upon seeing all the couples and friends having a great time with smiles on everyone’s faces, you could feel the love in the air. When inside the venue, everyone you either stood next to, danced with, or hung around were super friendly and outgoing. Crush was an event with no negative vibes and lots of love all around.
On a funny note, while walking back to the media tent I slipped in the mud and ate it. Nonetheless, Crush AZ was an awesome experience and I highly recommend checking out Relentless Beat’s next installment in 2018!