IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTT’S TIIIIME! We’ve reached the final round of our fan-vote tournament in search of the “Best Major PNW EDM Festival Lineup of 2010-2019”.
As a brief refresher, we decided to try and have some fun while figuring out which major festival lineup of the previous decade was truly the best. We narrowed the search to major PNW festivals that featured EDM heavily, and took place in either Washington or British Columbia between 2010 and 2019.
From there, we selected more than two-dozen lineups that stood out from the crowd. Then, we broke that group into two halves of a randomly drawn 16-lineup bracket. On one side, eight lineups from Washington. On the other side, eight lineups from British Columbia.
Following a couple of ties, some surprises, and many intriguing matchups during the past few weeks, it’s time to crown the “Best Major PNW EDM Festival Lineup of 2010-2019”. After the semifinals, here’s what the bracket looks like as we head to the championship!
Championship Preview
Shambhala 2015 (BC Champion) vs. Paradiso 2016 (WA Champion)
The odds of a Shambhala lineup representing British Columbia and a Paradiso lineup representing Washington were high going into this tournament. Although it’s easy to say that now, both finalists had different roads to reaching the championship round.
Shambhala 2015 absolutely rolled through their matchups in the BC bracket. Knocking out FVDED in the Park 2015 and Contact 2013 with more than 80% of the vote in each of the first two rounds, and nearly 70% of the vote against Pemberton 2014 in the tournament semifinals, Shambhala 2015 is doing as well as you’d expect such a great lineup to do. Now, it’s the best major EDM lineup in BC of the previous decade.
It’s been slightly less straightforward for Paradiso 2016. An impressive win over Bumbershoot 2016 was followed by a 60:40 victory over compatriot Paradiso 2014 in round two. But in the Washington Final, Paradiso ended up with a tie against FreakNight 2013.
It was the second straight week that FreakNight 2013 ended with a tie after the initial voting period. This time though, Paradiso 2016 would come out on top in the tiebreaker, unlike Paradiso 2019 in the previous round.
Shambhala is known for its bass offerings at The Village nearly every summer, and the group in 2015 is one of their best. If there’s a lineup in this tournament that can compete with them, it’s Paradiso 2016. While Shambhala featured Skrillex, Koan Sound, Camo & Krooked, Downlink, Liquid Stranger, Zomboy, and more in 2015, The Gorge was the place to be for bass the following summer.
Excision and Terravita agreed that both were great, playing at both festivals.
Anytime the likes of Caspa & Rusko, Bassnectar, 12th Planet, Cookie Monsta & Funtcase, Dirtyphonics, RL Grime, and Matrix & Futurebound are performing in the same place, bassheads will flock. In addition to the bountiful bass, Paradiso 2016 delivered an eclectic group of artists spanning trance, house, big room, and everything in between. While that wasn’t unusual for Paradiso, the 2016 lineup stands out from the rest.
Shambhala knows a thing or two about eclectic tastes. Consistently one of the most diverse lineups of festival season, Shambhala outdid itself in 2015. Being able to enjoy Pretty Lights, Tipper (twice), Kygo, DJ Jazzy Jeff, G Jones, Claude VonStroke, Destructo, and Fort Knox Five, along with the previously mentioned bass, all in the same weekend, is absolutely absurd.
If the last two rounds of this tournament are any indicator, this will be a close one. Shambhala 2015 has dominated the tournament thus far. But it’s safe to say that Paradiso 2016 is their toughest matchup yet. So, which lineup is the best of the previous decade?
???
— Dance Music NW (@DanceMusicNW) June 29, 2020
Let us know which major PNW EDM lineup of the previous decade is your favorite! Share your thoughts with us by commenting below, on Facebook, or over on Twitter!
Important things happen in Pacific Northwest nightlife, and DMNW will send you alerts!
