written by Derek Bogseth
Chicago was blessed to have Lee Burridge bring his All Day I Dream series to Ping Tom Memorial Park last weekend. The location was gorgeous as it was on a beautiful park located along the river in the lovely Chinatown neighborhood. React teamed up with Paradigm Presents to throw this one of kind party and it surely didn’t disappoint. The sun wasn’t the only thing bringing the heat as Lauren Ritter, Lost Desert featuring Justin, and the person that made All Day I Dream a thing, Lee Burridge, all delivered proper sets to the daytime party goers.
As I arrived I got a little lost trying to find the entrance as it was kind of tricky with it being under a bridge and next to the river. The plus side to this was I got to see the location and set up from an aerial view which was pretty neat. Chinese lanterns, hand fans and Oriental parasols were a common accessory to this party. After finally figuring out how to get to the entrance I could hear the sexy tunes being spun by Lauren Ritter, a ReSolute resident out of New York. Of course, a beer to hydrate on the 90 degree day was needed. Saporro was the only brews they offered which seemed fitting for the décor and location of the event even if it’s a Japanese beer in Chinatown. Walking to the “dancefloor” I was now under the bridge I had the aerial view previously. Chinese Lanterns above me as well as floral decorations stringing from the stage to the back and dangling off the stage as well all made this party very Zen like.
One of the best parts about All Day I Dream was the crowd. Everyone I encountered or met was smiling and grooving the whole time. It was one of the more mature crowds I’ve experienced at a show in more recent times. Although there were a few flies that dropped (due to the extreme heat), everyone seemed rather well behaved. Having the beautiful skyline of Chicago to gawk at, amazing house tunes to dance too, and beautiful people enjoying themselves made this one of the best one off parties I have been a part of. Lost Desert featuring Junior was on next, I wasn’t too sure with who or what Junior was, but when I saw him on stage with a mic I was excited to know there was going to be some sort of live vocals. After looking him up I realized he was the vocalist for “Lingala” and “Absent Without Thoughts.” Junior had a tribal sounding voice, which went along very well with the kind of music Lost Desert was mixing.
The sun started to set and the lights in the Chinese lanterns came on as the legend himself Lee Burridge came out to make people’s dreams a reality. The way the speaker was set up, you kind of had to be in the middle to actually hear everything clearly as the speakers in the back seemed too close to the stage. It did keep the dance floor a little too populated for my liking. Hanging out in the back was the best though, girls had their LED hoops, and there were a few people with fire toys as well. Under the bridge was the spot to have sensory overload. Lee delivered a super chill and downtempo kind of set which was the perfect way to wind down the evening. There was definitely a sense of unity as everyone was one with each other. I closed my eyes for a few and let Lee take me down the rabbit hole into a dark lullaby. It all sounded so good, as I looked around to see people’s faces, they were filled with smiles as everyone moved to their own beat.
ADID was a journey, an emotional ride that was full of positivity. As the saying goes music brings people together, and everyone was in unison as we were all a part of the All Day I Dream tribe. Everything about this event was spectacular, hopefully if it happens again they make the “dance floor” slightly larger to accommodate for the sound the way it was meant to be heard. Props to both React Presents and Paradigm Presents for throwing an amazing party and hopefully the park and more cross promotional events happen in the future!