For this awesome Roundup, HC Columbia writer Leslie Hill talked to Eli Geschwind, CC ‘ 16 and Max Marshall, CC ’16 about their experience at Ultra Music Festival in Miami. Read on for their expectations, thoughts on the festival, and, naturally, Swedish playboys.
To escape the frigid cold of the northeast, I went back home to Southern Florida for Spring Break. As I had expected, the talk of the town was Ultra, an electronic/house music festival in downtown Miami. I had gone in 2012, and you can bet that I kicked myself when I found out the tickets were sold out for both weekends of the festival this year.
Overhead view of Bayfront Park, where Ultra is held.
Photo Credit: Rukes.com
Luckily enough, my neighbor (in my dorm) went to Ultra Weekend 1 and was glad to divulge all the details to me.
Eli Geschwind, CC ‘ 16, and his friend, Max Marshall, CC ’16, hopped on a plane to the MIA on the Friday of midterm week for Ultra. They stayed at the Viceroy, a luxury hotel in downtown Miami. Some great aspects of the hotel were the Olympic sized pool and a spa on the 14th floor with marbled Jacuzzis and 20-foot windows looking out onto the ocean. By far, however, Eli’s favorite non-Ultra part of the trip was getting back to the hotel at midnight after Ultra on Friday and Saturday, taking a nap, and going straight to the rooftop club, Fifty, at 2am, named for its location on the 50th floor of the hotel.
Max at the Viceroy spa
photo credit: Eli Geschwind
Now let’s get down to business:
While there were around 200 artists at Ultra weekend 1, Eli narrowed down, in his opinion, the best sets, to four artists. Not only did Deadmau5 perform all of his own music omitting the “basic drop that most DJs did,” but Eli was close to the stage, making the strobe lights and visuals, which included a mouse being chased, all the more awesome. Hardwell was another great set because his performance at dusk was “full of energy” emphasized by the sides of the stage mechanically moving up and down, a moving tempo, and a distinct uniqueness. One of the last groups to perform was Above & Beyond, which Eli loved because they played one of his favorite songs, “Sun & Moon.” Furthermore, they typed messages, which appeared on the screens, to communicate with the crowd. The final set of Weekend One was Armin van Buuren, arguably the best DJ in the world, who “ended the perfect weekend on the highest note” according to Geschwind. It was Eli’s first time seeing DeadMau5 and Armin, and he was more than enthralled with their performances.
When asked if it was what he expected, Eli replied with a terse, “Better.” He anticipated the “beautiful women and great DJ’s,” but didn’t expect to stay as energized as he did. Unfortunately, everything can’t be tulips and daisies. Eli was disappointed by the large number of “generic drops” in many DJ’s sets. He also was disappointed with Swedish House Mafia, who he had seen just a few weeks prior. Eli reported that their set list was nothing special.
Max(right) and Eli(left) broing it out at Ultra
Photo Credit: Eli Geschwind
Geschwind is no novice when it comes to music festivals. He went to Coachella and Electric Zoo(E-Zoo) last year, as well as Wireless, a music festival in London, twice in the past. He said that Ultra was “special because it is held in the heart of downtown Miami.” He was impressed with the lightshows on buildings and with the amazing stages, to which the other music festivals did not hold candle. Ultra was “more electronic than Coachella, but because there was a lot less space at Ultra, it was harder to get to the front of the crowd.” By far, however, E-Zoo was most cramped festival. Eli described Ultra as a huge “rave dance party” while Coachella had more of a festival vibe due to several additions such as the ferris wheel and abundance of food. As far as the music genres go, Coachella and Wireless were mixed while Ultra and E-Zoo were strictly EDM. Overall, everyone at Ultra was extremely happy and excited, linked through the music and making it more of a cohesive experience rather than another big concert like E-Zoo. On the more technical side of things, Eli was surprised that the security at Ultra did not check any bags.
There were seven stages at Ultra, each with different artists with set times ranging from forty-five minutes to two hours. Eli’s favorite stage was the Mainstage because it had great visuals, from the light shows to the graphics on the screens, and because it featured all of the big name artists. He also enjoyed the unique experience that he got at the amphitheater stage, where the audience could sit down.
Main Stage, Day 2 Weekend 1
Photo Credit: Rukes.com
Eli’s favorite memory was the performance of “Ghosts N Stuff” by Deadmau5 because “the whole crowd singing and everyone was going absolutely wild.” He also was felt excited and satisfied when he finally walked into the gates on the first day of the festival. Another awesome tidbit is that deadmau5 was staying at the Viceroy, where Eli and Max were staying, as well! Eli met a couple of “Swedish playboys,” on of whom works at the global consulting firm Mckinsey, who had spent their spring break in New York, LA, Cabo, Vegas, and Miami. How crazy!
Overall, Eli highly recommends Ultra. He advises you to stay in a hotel near the festival and extend your visit for a few extra days after Ultra to enjoy Miami.
View of Brickell Key and Biscayne Bay from the Viceroy
Photo Credit: Eli Geschwind
If you’re interested in Ultra, you can find out more here. Ultra 2014: Can you feel it?