This past weekend was perhaps the biggest weekend in dance music history, consisting of TomorrowWorld in Atlanta, Size in the Park in New York, the Groove Cruise somewhere in the Pacific, and Beyond Wonderland in Northern California. With so many events happening within a 72 hour timeframe, it probably wasn’t an easy task for talent bookers to grab their artists of choice. However, Pasquale continued to do what he does best: surpassing everybody’s wildest expectations. His crew was able to gather a lineup undeniably breathtaking and powerful enough to fill up the DJ Mag Top 10: Tiësto, Hardwell, Calvin Harris, Avicii, David Guetta, and Benny Benassi; there was something for everyone. Trance fans were delighted to find Gareth Emery, Cosmic Gate and Dash Berlin all on the roster. The bass heads couldn’t be more excited to see Datsik, Carnage, Dirtyphonics and Zeds Dead on the bill. The inaugural event took place at Oakland Coliseum the previous year, however, Pasquale decided to move the festival from Oakland down to the peninsula’s Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, as well as expanding it to a 2-day event.
The weeks prior to the event in the Bay Area, Pasquale and the Insomniac team had a similar event on the southern coast of California at the San Manuel Amphitheater in San Bernardino, where they hosted Nocturnal Wonderland. Although it was only a 1 day event, the production was nothing short of perfection and the attendees were left absolutely flabbergasted. Nocturnal Wonderland featured 5 stages with over 40 artists that covered the massive grounds. The production consisted of lights, lasers, 3D stage designs, and other illuminated structures that were prevalent all around for both campers and commuters.
The Nocturnal lineup featured some of Insomniac veterans, including Bingo Player(s), Porter Robinson and Benny Benassi. Additional headlining talents consisted of Xilent, Bro Safari, Krewella, Dash Berlin, Myon & Shane 54 and Martin Solveig to name a few. To sweeten the deal even more, Pasquale was able to somehow book Green Velvet and Fatboy Slim as well for the unforgettable night. There’s no question that this year’s Nocturnal definitely blew last year’s show out of the water in terms of artists booked and stage production. It would have been nice if the festival was two days again this year, but we can’t ask for everything… From the main stage with aerial acrobats swinging from tree to tree to spray-paint artists painting on faux brick right before your very eyes, this year’s Nocturnal was one for the books.
Nocturnal and Beyond Wonderland has been showing obvious signs of growth and expansion over the past few years and will continue to do so for many years ahead. If Pasquale and his Insomniac team continue to cultivate their brand the way they’ve been progressing, EDC could very easily return to where it all started.
