The headbanging inducing sounds of Excision brought in the New Year at the inaugural of Radiance NYE. Confetti and Balloons rained down on the crowd bringing an end to 2018 and into the joy of 2019. Radiance successfully executed a New Year’s festival that was genre specific. The crowd had endless amount of energy and had their bass face on full display after each drop.
The Venue
The Wisconsin Center was centrally located among numerous hotels that were walking distance. Upon arriving to the venue the staff and workers were very attentive and helpful guiding attendees. Once attendees taken the escalators to the upper floor, there were multiple areas where they could take pictures with signs marking the Radiance NYE name. Before going into the Main Room, you’re greeted with heavy sounds coming from the second stage which featured your local acts. The second stage was a small but packed a heavy punch of lights and sounds. It was also a great place to take a break from being in the big crowd and enjoy some underground music.
Once you had your fill at the second stage, enter the massive Main Room. There was ample space for people to dance, walk around, or just hang out. VIP was an elevated platform that stretched along the right side of the stage. Multiple bars were located on the left side and in the back middle of the main room. Beverages were reasonably priced. Monaco, a liquor company, had a small lounge area to hangout out and drink. The free water station could be easily located and accessed. There were multiple vendors selling various festival gear which was located to the back of the Main Room. As for restrooms, it was never too crowded as Radiance even brought extra porta potties to go along with the venue’s restrooms.
Highlights
Let me first start of with Whipped Cream. Her energy on stage and the song selection had the crowd wanting for more. She dropped a couple of her new tracks and it was a banger. Be on a lookout for her in 2019.
Zeds Dead had everyone moving, mixing in and out different genres through their set as well as playing their classics. There was endless amount of c02 blasting out each for each drop.
Excision didn’t hold back and dropped really heavy tracks through the night. His visuals is still one of the best out there as it sets the tone of how you feel the music. We were also blessed with Akylla jumping on stage to beautifully sing on two tracks. Be sure to catch Excision for his Apex tour this year, tickets are selling fast.
The Crowd
It never felt too crowded as you can easily weave in and out of the crowd. There was always enough room for headbanging in the crowd. As for fashion, the vast majority of the attendees was either wearing artist’s merchandise or the typical Dubstep wear.
Overall
The production was amazing. The stage design and lights was top notch. For being such a large venue, the sound was perfect as there were no bad spots to stand at. One thing we would like to see more of is art and decorations throughout the venue. It felt kind of empty without them. We hope Radiance will become a 2-Day event like most other NYE festivals. Regardless, Radiance will be the go to NYE Festival for years to come.
