Photo by Luis Colato
Written by Andrea Villarreal
It’s the end of an amazing weekend and BOO! AZ was definitely one for the books. BOO! AZ concluded its event at the Rawhide Event Center in Chandler, Arizona on Saturday, October 20, 2018 featuring amazing artists such as Habstrakt, Lick, Boogie T, Arius, and more. With event withdrawals in full effect, here’s some reasons why BOO! AZ was a scary, good time.
The Venue + Layout was Fitting for BOO!
Photo by Luis Colato
The Rawhide Event Center has the perfect layout for events such as BOO! Upon entering the venue, you have all your food vendors and merchandise, as well as some spacious sitting areas that are perfect for taking breaks from dancing the night away. The more you go inside the event center, the better it gets. They had a giant skull which was an amazing backdrop for all spooky photos, perfect for people to show off their amazing, full-blown outfits in the spirit of Halloween. El Hefe was one of the food vendors here at BOO! AZ, and they provided amazing food options, such as carne asada fries, burgers, hot dogs and more. After eating the best burger and fries that I’ve had in a very long time, we headed inside to catch some sets and get a little wonky. Watching the crowd vibe out is fun and all, but getting in there and meeting new people to dance with is what makes this event so much fun.
Photo by Paparazzii
The Artists Brought the HEAT
Photo by Luis Colato
As I walked into to venue, Tynan was playing and set the bar high for what would be an amazing night. The visuals were on point and with each artist that played the crowd just got wilder. At most events or festivals, it’s extremely difficult to hit the rails unless you get there early and ride it out. At BOO! so many people were swapping and taking turns, which was awesome. To have people come together, have a good time, and keep the positive vibe alive through the crowd was an incredible thing to see and experience. Blunts & Blondes brought us some good beats to vibe out to not only for the headbangers but also for the people in the back who love to get that full-body dances going. I was most excited to see 1788-L and could not miss his set. 1788-L did not disappoint as he dropped some filthy beats for my dark bass heads. He was perfect for BOO! not only because his music has filthy “wubs” but it’s also got that dark eerie vibe to it, which was perfect for this Halloween-themed event.
As the night continues, next up on stage is Kayzo. The first song took off with a bang and the crowd instantly starts dancing and vibing out. Kayzo definitely has his own twist on EDM and it’s not disappointing. As we’re hanging out and dancing we look over to see Yultron chilling and watching the set! Before I knew it, Yultron heads on over and joins Kayzo on stage which was an amazing plus to the night. One of the remixes they played was Showtek’s “FTS” and this song spoke volumes to me—as someone who’s been into electronic music for about 10 years and started out in the scene as a little hardstyle raver, hearing what I consider to be a raver’s national anthem made my heart sing.
BOO! was Perfect for First Timers & Veterans
Photo by Luis Colato
This year I took my little brother out with me and this was his first EDM experience—at first he was a little shy at the event, but once we took him into the crowd and met some great people around us, he loosened up and just started dancing it out! As a new festival goer he pointed out that the scene is very welcoming and open-minded unlike other shows, concerts or communities he’s attended. To me it spoke volumes on how we can all come together, enjoy ourselves for one night, check out of everyday life and just relax & have fun. To have these events available for us and to experience these moments is what we should live for: to live in the moment and remember to always enjoy yourself.
Lastly, thank you Relentless Beats for pulling off another amazing event and giving me the opportunity to experience this event on behalf of Festival Squad!