Friday morning, we woke up with a little more excitement than the past 2 days. After 2 nights of club events, it was finally time for the two-part main event of the week. The first featured the likes of Ekali, Mija, Mat Zo, and Knife Party. Certainly this lineup alone would have been exciting, but to make things even better the night featured a headline, live performance by Porter Robinson.
We made our way to the now familiar PNE Coliseum, and after the typical security check we were in. Unfortunately, due to a hold up prior to arrival, we missed most of Ekali’s set, but we able to catch the last 10 minutes. Seasons featured a 19+ VIP area where we decided to grab a drink before Mija hit the stage. A quick scan of the room showed a diverse crowd of attendees, and despite being an all-ages event we felt like everyone fit right in. The crowd was mix old and young, onesies, kandi masks, glovers, and everything in between. Amongst the crowd we were also pleasantly surprised to run into several groups of Seattleites who made the quick trip up to enjoy the weekend.
Running into fellow Seattleites is always a welcome surprise.
Mija hit the stage, and being only the 2nd performer of the night, we knew we were set for a good set. By now a seasoned veteran of the festival circuit, Mija put together a set worthy of any mainstage. Once Mija wrapped up, Mat Zo was quick to continue the momentum through his set onto the highly anticipated Knife Party. Coming hot off of an incredible weekend at Ultra Music Festival, and despite the absence of fellow member, Rob Swire, Gareth McGillen hit the crowd hard right from the beginning.
Gareth went straight into Knife Party’s latest EP, dropping Parliament Funk as the first song of his set. Shortly after, Seasons finally flexed their laser power and put the crowd into a frenzy. The addition to this year’s stage was certainly a crowd favorite, and the obvious product upgrades to this year’s stage did not go unnoticed. The set continued on, and featured a mix of old and new with a few unreleased remixes and VIPs sprinkled in as well. We also enjoyed the “Blue Screen of Death” visual that caught a few off guard during 404. After an hour of a full-on Knife Party assault, Gareth closed out with a mix of Knife Party’s Bonfire and Pendulum’s Tarantula, which felt all too fitting given the events of Ultra.
Knife Party – Seasons 2016 Main Event – Night 1
A short break from the madness then yielded the sign of 23-year-old Porter Robinson, ready to close out the first night. After a few technical issues with the beginning of his set, Porter reemerged explaining he had a special set planned for the night, and rather than play through the issues, he wanted to solve them. Thankfully so as he went straight into Sad Machine and we were set. As we’ve said previously, live performances are changing the way we see EDM events, and having Porter headline Night #1 just seemed appropriate for the changing scene. We certainly felt like we were on Cloud 9 after a set we’d never forget.
Important things happen in Pacific Northwest nightlife, and DMNW will send you alerts!
