It was very strange for me walking onto the grounds of Randall's Island and not seeing Electric Zoo. The EDM festival has been my sole purpose for trekking all the way to 125th Street and across the East River since 2013. So I was intrigued when Panorama Festival was first announced, despite a lineup that’s not quite my brand of music. Reports of a New York Coachella have a way of drawing people in; and I was no exception.
Of course I arrived very late and missed Major Lazer, the one artist I’d been looking forward to on the Friday lineup, but I made it just in time for DJ Khaled. His name, broken down into four syllables was pretty much the soundtrack to my college experience. Obvious choice.
I took a spin around the venue, and got trapped in the water mist sprinklers (which I’m certain were a Godsend for the day patrons, but not so much for the person carrying a DSLR camera). Eventually, I made my way to the Pavilion. The crowd was scarce; SchoolboyQ had finished his set maybe 15 minutes prior. Remaining were the few couples still making out to the light of the giant LCD panel behind the stage, looping animations of a graffitied New York City train chugging across a bridge and images of the Panorama grounds.
Several lines trailed out from the Parlor when I arrived for DJ Khaled. I imagine many did not get into the area to see him perform, though the music could be heard in a muffled, club-like fashion if you hung around outside. I felt like 2008 me, posted in front of the Town Ballroom in Buffalo with my college friends. It was a time where just about every song had an accompanying dance. Now people give me odd looks when I do the dances, but it always makes me laugh because it was likely way before their time. The Panorama Festival was no exception.
Inside it’s jam packed and it’s a challenge maneuvering myself into a good vantage point. By the time I did, DJ Khaled’s first guest T.I. was leaving the stage and he was introducing Fat Joe and Remy Ma. They performed hits including Lean Back and Conceited and Remy Ma graced the crowd with a freestyle. Sweat at my shoulders would roll all the way down to the back of my legs, but overall it was a solid show.
Walking back toward the Panorama Stage, where Arcade Fire was performing, I stopped by the Box, a funky set up, covered in graffiti, which led up to an amazing vantage point of the mainstage and the entire grounds. I only had a moment up there before I was asked to leave, as the line for access was pretty consistent since I’d arrived.
I then took a quick walk through The Lab, the technology inspired art gallery curated by The Verge. While I plan to explore the area a little further in the coming days, what I saw was intriguing. Most so was the installation that allowed patrons to move shapes and letters around, to be projected onto a screen in a fashion similar to The Ring. I am very curious about a mysterious exhibit draped in a white sheet that commanded a particularly long line for the small space.
To exit The Lab, patrons must walk through the Dome -- easily my favorite part of festival so far. From outside, part of The Lab is shaped like a gigantic sphere and inside, people can lie on the ground and experience a hyper-sensory dystopian dreamscape. Imagine Star Wars, the Hunger Games and Disney’s Fantasia played overhead and in IMAX and you have the Dome. The soundtrack here was more suited to my personal music taste than any of the performances I’d been able to catch.
The Saturday lineup includes more artists along my speed. I hear good things about Anderson .Paak and am excited for Flosstradamus, Tokimonsta and AlunaGeorge.
My other Saturday plans include exploring the Food. I’ve already spotted Bareburger, the patron saint of vegan options at New York music festivals. Was I surprised that the vegan cheddar burger was sold out by the time I got there? Not really, but I still remain unconvinced that there are that many vegans in this city.
Panorama would not be my immediate choice for a music festival. But so far, I’m pleasantly surprised.. I’m looking forward to more, still waiting to see if it becomes the New York Coachella we want it to be.
