I'm looking at these three reviews - and the discrepancies between June 2010 and June 2011. There is clear justification for it. Last year, the festival was top-notch, it was sold out but it wasn't impossible to move, the crowd ranged in ages from 16-30, the security didn't give you a hard time, the VIP was well worth it....
This year, Steez promo had one goal = $$$
It was painfully obvious. Bassnectar was the headliner on the main stage.. Skrillex headlined the dub stage. It took us almost an hour and a half to make it through the crowd on the beach just to catch the last 20 minutes of Flux Pavilion and get close to the stage. And by then, the festival had cleared out.
Kids were dropping like FLIES. It was a sad, sad scene. The crowd was the worst I have ever seen it. I could not even describe to you how bad it was... but at one point, I turned to my companion and said "wow, the crowd this year is creepier and sketchier than ever". Just grimey. Yuck.
I won't be attending next year, unless if they get their s**t together. Spread the festival out between two days to keep the headliners away from each other. What a disorganized mess.
Oh, and how about if there was *recycling* anywhere. The place was so, so polluted. Not a single person running the event gave a s**t... oh, sure, just trash the park, no big deal, because everyone that is here is trash anyway. Such a scummy vibe.
That being said, what music I did catch I was impressed with. The dance tent was bumping, the fort stage was killer. Flux + Excision were particularly nasty. Eoto and Lotus were highlights. By the time 4:00 am rolled around, I was so shot, I could barely even walk to my car. Oh, and I barely utilized my VIP other than for the free water + booze, forget the "exclusive" viewing areas, there were freaking lines for that too.
100
100
400
