It may have been a mistake to put in a grueling training workout before the second day of Panorama, but exhaustion caused me to head out early and miss Kendrick Lamar. Between other responsibilities and the two-hour commute to Randall's Island, I missed both Melanie Martinez and Tokimonsta. But Flossstradmus’ set redeemed Panorama for me, as a festival with something for everybody.
The first time I saw the duo was on an Ultra Music Festival live stream in 2013. They are definitely a festival group. I've yet to see them in a solo show andstage sets are never disappointing; but more on that later.
I arrived at Randall’s Island as Tokimonsta’s set was ending. I would also later come to realize that there would have been no use trying to stop by The Parlor for the last five minutes; I wouldn’t have gotten in with time. Instead I grabbed a veggie burger from Bareburger (the black bean burgers they served at Electric Zoo were better), sat on the sloping lawn next to the Panorama Stage, and listened to the end of The Foal’s set. I’m not familiar with this group, but the music was enjoyable. I got a kick of how orderly the crowd was moving away from the stage as their set ended.
I stopped by the Despacio for a moment on recommendation. The nearly pitch dark, jungle-themed tent was nice and cool, but my time there was short spent as a friend ushered me to The Pavilion for Anderson .Paak. It’s hard to realize how stubborn music tastes can be until you’re listening to something new. .Paak drew an impressive crowd, but outside of a few songs that included samples of oldies, he wasn’t quite my thing. I spent most of the set trying to get a decent shot with my camera but to no avail.
Following Anderson .Paak, I wanted to see both Flossstradmus and AlunaGeorge, who had overlapping set times. I trekked over to The Parlor and got in just in time for one last song from Jai Wolf, an artist who’s a bit more my speed. Had I known I may have just camped out at The Parlor from the time I arrived. However, since Flossstradmus’ set started first, I rushed back to The Pavilion and figured leaving 20 minutes before their set ended would give me plenty of time to get back to The Parlor for the end of AlunaGeorge.
Flossstradmus’ was refreshing; nothing like a jolt of filthy dubstep to perk you up when the New York summer heat is siphoning your energy fast. The girl standing next to me, covered in sweat from head to toe, had a blast. I also got a pretty good sweat going, but stuck to my plan of heading back to The Parlor. By the time I got there, both the general admission and VIP lines were longer than I had seen them between the two days of Panorama. Bouncers policed the doors by letting a few patrons in at a time as other left the tent. I entered just in time to hear the final notes of You Know You Like It , and for Aluna to say “Thank You New York.” Her set ended set five minutes early. I feel robbed.
By the time I exited The Pavilion, both lines to the tent had extended all the way to the main lawn on Randall’s Island. As much as the Panorama Stage and The Pavilion were more main stage areas, The Parlor has a mystique that was undeniable. Similar to Friday, the inside was just was crowded as the lines outside. I just hope others planned better than I did to get in for their favorite artists.
