photos taken from Moonrise’s Facebook
Less than a week away, Moonrise 2018 is almost ready for takeoff at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. Moonrise has set the acts to their perspective day/stages as well as releasing other info. Message boards are crawling with pre-hype conversations between new and returning Mooncrew exchanging info of tips/opinions on fashion, lodging, meet ups, MUSIC, etc. Yet again the lineup this year has held an intense gravitational pull on my interest to attend Moonrise. I have seen several artists perform since my last post, but nonetheless I’m still excited to see the stacked weekend.
Four Stages
Don’t be a horse, but be sure to make laps around Pimlico and catch acts at all four stages. Each stage has its own unique vibes with different production than the next due to its location/logistics. For example, the Solar Tent may not have pyrotechnics but you can count on crazy colorful beams of light hovering night time sets.
The Celestial Stage was the smallest of the stages but it still sees plenty of action. I enjoyed a few sets there last year, mostly daytime sets. Celestial looks House heavy this year (not complaining at all). Surprisingly, most of these artists I have not seen. However, I can vouch for Golf Clap after seeing them at an intimate Atlanta show, Housewerk. They kept the energy up and before I knew it, it was 4 am! Solid House for sure. A few other artists taking the Celestial Stage: Mija, Anna Lunoe, Justin Jay, Walker & Royce, and Chris Lake.
I love most tent stages at festivals because they rarely let me down. Something about the shade provided for thousands of people thoroughly enjoying music is always a hype setting. Solar Tent is no different with its lineup of heavy hitters. After seeing Ganja White Night‘s Origins Tour show in Atlanta, I’m completely content with spending time at their set. Not only has Sullivan King been touring with Black Tiger Sex Machine, but he’s also been doing his own thing killing it this year. He has headlined shows as well as tearing up the festival circuit. Another solid artist to get the Solar Tent rockin. PS…Sullivan King eats pineapples on his pizza. I have had the luxury of catching a few minutes of some REZZ sets at Sunset and Electric Forest. Needless to say I’m looking forward to taking a journey with REZZ Saturday. Some other notable bangers abducting the Solar Tent include: G Jones, Snails, Liquid Stranger, and Terravita.
Lunar Stage is one of two main stages. I was fairly surprised with the amount of production put into the sets last year. Lights, confetti, pyrotechnics, and so forth. Plenty of fun sets there last year, looking forward to this year’s Lunar Stage artists. After being introduced to Manic Focus at Euphoria last year, I always try to find time at a Manic Focus set. They absolutely killed the closing set at Electric Forest Weekend 2. If you want something different from the predominantly EDM music at Moonrise, Manic Focus might be for you. Moonrise last year was the first place I witnessed Excision. Excited to see his antics again at Pimlico; maybe we’ll see some of that new music live. To name a few other Lunar artists: Maddy O’Neal, Cashmere Cat, NAV, GRiZ, Phantogram, and Illenium.
Stellar Stage was hands down my favorite Moonrise stage from last year. I’m eager to see the setup this year. Definitely an awesome stage for visual effects. Zeds Dead trumps basically all other sets at festivals for me which speaks for itself. Enough said for Zeds Dead.
Quick story: A cool couple found me in the crowd at Zhu Electric Forrest Weekend 2 and shared one of their Moonrise memories. It was his girlfriend’s first time at a festival (Moonrise) and they saw me gettin down in my running shorts at Ookay‘s set last year. They said it was one of their favorite Moonrise memories; since then they have gone to more festivals together. The story completely made my night! Can’t wait to get down at Ookay again this year. Other notable Stellar Stage acts include: Diplo, Kaskade, Elephante, Habstrakt, and GG Magree. The original design was one of my favorite stages I saw all last festival season so I’m looking forward to seeing the Stellar production again.
Two Days
If Moonrise is anything like last year, then attendees are in for a treat. Not only will the artists be bringing their A-game, but the Star Team will be around to help keep YOU in the game. Take care of yourself, friends, and others. Prepare for bad weather (pack boots), stay hydrated, bring good vibes, etc. It is a short festival so utilize your time wisely. Moonrise is a great festival to see a plethora of artists; we saw something like 15 acts on Sunday last year alone.
Still have questions or concerns prior to the festival? Refer to the Moonrise website and explore the social avenues (Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Radiate, Twitter, etc) for answers, surely someone can provide helpful insight. Your questions might even help answer someone else’s thoughts. If you don’t have tickets and are still considering going, make some moves and prepare to join the Mooncrew. Lastly and most importantly just make sure to have a great time and party responsibly.