HDYFEST 2016 was announced almost one year ago at Global Dance Festival 2015 on day 1 as Flosstradamus exited the stage from their performance. When it was revealed what the full lineup would be, it seemed as though people were flocking to Colorado for this 4/20 celebration. HDY Nation, Slugz City, and the mustachioed Khan joined together to give the fans at Red Rocks one of the best 4/20 performances they will ever see.
Colorado is notorious for having crazy weather this time of year and Wednesday 4/20 looked to be the beginning of a warm up, no snow or rain in the forecast to put a damper on anyone’s parade. Arriving at Red Rocks and making my way through the muddy parking lots, I could hear the sounds of Valentino Khan and the thumping bass as I entered the top of the park and made my way down to about the middle of the stands. Red Rocks filled quickly as we were treated to some OWSLA favorites and the always fun, “Deep Down Low”. I hadn’t seen Valentino Khan up until this point, but even from Row 42, that mustache was unmistakable and certainly iconic. The bass house had everyone jumping and energetic as we fought the cold Colorado air, waiting for Snails to make his way to the stage.
As Snails took the stage (wearing a Zeds Dead shirt) we wondered if he would play his recent Coachella set, or give us what may be the weekend 2 Coachella set. I was ready for another round of the vomitstep after seeing Snails at Rowdytown, but this night he would bring something a little different to the party. Opening with “Night Shine” Snails gave us vomitstep, dubstep, trap, throwback hip-hop, Eurythmics, and plenty more as we were treated to a loud and bass heavy set from the man himself. I was amazed and could not help myself from going hard on the steps of Red Rocks. Each song presented more energy and had the crowd in a frenzy. Not to mention Snails brought to the stage Dominic from Big G for a special rendition of their collab. The live sax along with the vomitstep-infused song made for one hell of a set. As 9:30 rolled around, Snails left the stage amidst applause and we patiently waited for the headliner of the night, Flosstradamus.
Not wanting to disappoint, Floss brought everything to Red Rocks for 4/20 HDY Fest, lasers, lights, and an insane stage to boot. Taking up the entire width of the Red Rocks stage area, Floss included two massive floodlights and a sweet t-shirt gun. The scene was plucked straight from a military base and the camo that Floss wore completed the look. They truly made HDY Fest for the fans with the production.
If you haven’t been to Red Rocks in the past few years, you may not know that sound ordinances have been passed in droves, targeting electronic music and severely limiting the extent that the sound system can be utilized. It didn’t seem to effect Snails performance, but right as 10:00pm hit on this Wednesday, Floss’ set pushed the sound ordinance to its limit. Every song and thud from the bass felt underpowered and lackluster, but it was not on the part of Floss, it was the sound system and the limits to the sound system for the people that live around the amphitheater.
Aside from the obvious sound issues, Floss brought their A game for HDY Fest 2016 with some of the biggest hits of their catalog along with some surprise tracks and odes to the 4/20 date. The crowd was raucous and lively, and with every track, Floss upped the energy, bringing the crowd to live on the cold April night. The 3D lasers that Floss brought to Red Rocks was huge and every visual they put on both the rocks and the stage looked amazing.
Overall, HDY Fest was quite the party for fans of electronic music, given that Snails and Valentino Khan set the stage for Floss to rule the night. All 3 sets pushed the crowd to their max, giving fans one of the best 4/20’s they could ask for.