With only a year under its belt, Firefly Music Festival down in Dover, Delaware is already making a name for itself over in the Northeast and MMIBTY will be bringing you all the coverage this weekend. But as we all know, what’s a festival these days without a little preview action. For those readers headed down to the woods on Friday we’ll be filling you in on all the best. For those staying at home (or off to Vegas for EDC), consider this a taste of one of the biggest up and coming festivals in America.
With an admittedly small EDM presence, it’s easy for readers to overlook it in the grand scheme of things. That being said, it’s already developing a vibe that separates it from the pack and makes a trip all worth it: 3 days in the wood, gourmet food and drink, and some of the best music out there right now. Here’s what you shouldn’t be missing.
DAY 1: Start it off with the confusingly electro-indie-guitar rock of Django Django on the Main Stage. For the electronic minded among you, check out Bail Hop. If you’re into some deep hypnotic rock, try Skies Over Cairo. Up next is everyone’s favorite songstress Ellie Goulding over on The Lawn. Bassnectar’s Lights remix pretty much forced her explosion onto the electronic scene, but she’s made a name for herself in the indie scene far beyond that. Skip over to The Porch for a little Flava Flav and Chuck D as Public Enemy brings their old-school social-rap to the unlikeliest of venues: the Delaware woodlands. Jump back to The Lawn to get your dancing shoes on with one of the biggest DJs in the world right now: Calvin Harris. Being one of the few big DJs there this weekend, soak it up as much as you can. Back to the Main Stage, don’t miss the first half of the legendary Red Hot Chili Peppers, arguably the most anticipated show of the weekend. Don’t stay too long, though. Over at The Porch, pseudo-mythical Odd Future wunderkind Earl Sweatshirt will be dropping his right-in-your-face over-the-top rhymes to the small legion of fans who decided to leave the Red Hot Chili Peppers show for him. Odd Future newbie disclaimer: get your fighting fists ready. OF shows rarely end peacefully. Finally, end your night at The Porch as Krewella gets the entire festival soaking to close down its first night.
Day 2: Admittedly less hectic, Day 2’s best activities begin with indie legends Yeah Yeah Yeahs at the Main Stage. But as compromises must be made at festivals, they’ll be interrupted as the Manufactured Superstars take over at The Porch midway through their set. Again: few DJs, so soak them up as much as possible. Back at the Lawn, MGMT will be bringing their psychedelic new-wave electro-rock ahead of their next album release (it’s rumored to have very house-y origins, so don’t be surprised if you get pleasantly surprised with some dance tunes). You’ve got some time to kill after that until Saxo-Dubstep kings Big Gigantic close down night 2 at The Lawn.
Day 3: The final and arguably best day of Firefly brings us folk rock new kids, The Lumineers, at the Main Stage to start off the festivities. (Don’t act like you don’t sing along every time “Ho Hey” comes on.) Stick around after them, because Passion Pit brings their high energy electro-pop to the same stage a little while after. Don’t waste any time, because one of the most talked about bands of the year (thanks to their unanimously praised new album), Vampire Weekend, will bring a little piece of happy-go-lucky pop to The Lawn. (We never officially reviewed it, but Modern Vampires Of The City may be up there for my favorite album of the year, soundly putting Daft Punk out of the running.) In the toughest decision of the weekend, leave early and head to The Backyard to catch everyone’s new favorite: Zedd. As usual, expect the unexpected with Anton, arguably the best DJ in the world right now. Oh, and don’t get annoyed when everyone and their mothers sing along to Clarity, just close your eyes and join in.
Besides the main acts, Firefly’s dishing out way more attractions this year for the EDM-heads among us. Heineken is sponsoring a dome specifically for DJs to spin throughout the festival. On top of that, located in the woods during the day and the campsite at night, Firefly’s introducing a silent disco to its lineup that will run all day and all night for those addicts who can’t stop dancing. So whenever there’s any downtime at all, head for the woods (or the dome with the Heineken star branded on it).
That should about cover it, folks! Stay tuned for updates during the festival, be sure to check out the post event coverage to see what you missed, and check some preview music below! For those going, I’ll see you in the woods.