A Salute to My 2024 Festival Season
I can’t say it was all fun and games, but I accomplished a lot in the past 365 days and that makes me happy! I live for live music and I’m grateful I was able to travel to so many events and support my goal of attending as many live shows and music events as I could since 2015. To make it possible, I’m a substitute teacher with a flexible teaching schedule and also work in the EDM community. As a street team manager for Collectiv Presents and North Coast Music Festival, a Camp Counselor for Summer Camp Music Festival, a Pretty Lights Illuminator, and a manager and SEO writer for Grassroots California, the opportunities to promote, manage, participate in, and contribute to events (not just as an attendee) also made this many experiences more accessible and more meaningful.
To start off, as an analytic number-cruncher, some stats I’m rather proud of:
105: The number of events I attended in 2024 including shows, concerts, and music festivals, 3 of which were Red Rocks shows. Some days, I attended up to 3 unique shows or events in a day. Livestreams are not included. While this is much lower than my annual numbers in 2022 and 2023, I’m still grateful for the year I had!
26: The number of event wristbands and credentials I accumulated while festing this year: 9 of which were VIP or guest passes, 3 were media passes, and 2 were vendor bands. 5 festivals dates were solo-sends where I found myself feeling the happiest and most empowered.
9: The number of unique states I saw live music in during the last 365 days, some more than two or three times: Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Arizona, Minnesota, Colorado, Ohio, New York, and Florida.
8: The number of flights that got me back and forth across the United States for shows and music festivals.
24: The number of artist merch items I purchased this year including event tees, hoodies, Grassroots hats, PL Jibs and other artist merch.
11: The number of bottles popped at shows or festivals, some snuck in.
33: The number of nights I camped out under the stars.
21: The number of livestreams I watched or engaged with (mostly Pretty Lights of course).
13: The number of Pretty Lights shows I will have attended this year alone come New Years. PL Chicago New Years actually marks my 52nd and 53rd Pretty Lights’ shows, officially entering my Top 3 artists of all-time.
10: The number of days I worked a Grassroots booth on the road with the SproutFam.
2,200+: The number of photos and videos I uploaded to my Festival Season Facebook album capturing artists, shows, music, friends, and festi-fam!
And finally, my list of events, in order from January 1st, that that I attended, worked, and adored. Countless hours spent dancing and raging at shows, celebarting music, art, and community in the best way possible. Another incredible year comes to an end but these memories will last a lifetime!
Supertask NYE at the Magic Stick
G Jones at The Riviera
Late Night Radio at Chop Shop
Tsuruda & Fly at Primary
Tape B at Majestic Madison
Gem and Jam Festival in Tuscon
Sound Test Thursdays: Wraz at Primary
Copycatt at Primary
All:Lo Takeover at The Miramar
Super Future at Primary
Papadosio: 2 Nights at The Miramar
Barclay Crenshaw, Tiedye Ky, & Fly at Concord
Salty & Mikrodot at The Point
Crawdad Sniper at The Point
Minnesota & Ableton at Liquid Madison
NSW: @ Primary
Minnesota at Chop Shop
NSW: @ Primary
Hamdi Showcase at Joe’s On Weed St.
NSW Presents: Thought Process + Pheel
NSW: Mala Blackout Set
Zingara @ Concord
Toadface @ Primary
Solar Tide 2024
Summer Camp Music Festival Presents: Solshine Reverie
Beyond Wonderland Chicago
Infrasound Music Festival
Electric Forest
Mike & the Joes Deerfield 4th of July
Roger Daltrey & KC Tunstall @ Ravinia Festival
Rose on the River @ The Salt Shed
Artifakts Boat Party & Miramar Afters
Secret Dreams Music & Arts Festival
Marvel Years & Vincent Antone Madison
Paul Basic PL RRX Preparty @ Cervantes
Pretty Lights at Red Rocks 2024
Vibeline PL RRX Afters @ Cervantes
Lollapalooza 2024 Sunday
Polish Ambassador @ Chop Shop
Disco Biscuits Chicago (2 Nights)
North Coast Music Festival
Ravenscoon NCMF Afters
Hamdi NCMF Afters
Miracle in Mundelein with Wiz Khalifa
Infrasound Equinox Music Festival
Lost Lands Music Festival
Ivy Lab & Player Dave @ Thalia Hall
Big Fam Festival
Pretty Lights Bethel (2 nights)
Ravenscoon @ Canopy Club
STS9/Lettuce @ Radius
Daily Bread Merch Pop Up & Meet n Greet
Daily Bread @ Red Rocks
Daily Bread Official Breadrocks Afters
SoDown Halloween @ SoundBar
Pretty Lights Minneapolis (3 nights)
PL Minneapolis Afters with Manic Focus
Pretty Lights St. Augustine (3 Nights)
Pretty Lights N1 Afters w/Josh Teed & Chmura
Pretty Lights N2 Afters with Motifv & Parkbreezy
Pretty Lights N3 Afters with Michal Menert
Wolves of Glendale @ Outset
Lyny at Chop Shop
Zeds Shed/Deadbeats Chicago (3 nights)
Pretty Lights NYE at Wintrust Arena (2 nights)
PL Afters Chicago (x2)
