Destructo’s infamous HARD Summer Festival in L.A. went down last weekend.
In spite of the throbbing 90-degree weather during the daytime and the 15-minute distance between the main stages and other three tents, festival-goers were uncompromising. This year, HARD drew in over 65,000 people to the Pomona Fairgrounds, for two days of belligerent fun.
Here are our Top 5(ish) favorite sets
1. Jack Ü
Diplo and Skrillex’s super-formation as Jack Ü was made for [festival] times like these. Just admit it, they know how to put on a hell of an entertaining show. Alongside kitsch props and visuals, they delightfully surprised fans with stellar special guests: 2 Chainz, Fly Boi Keno, CL of Korea’s 2NE1, and Alunageorge.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPCROoBk7FM[/youtube]
2. Die Antwoord
The zef-rap-rave crew (Ninja, Yolandi, and DJ Hi-Tek) treated fans overflowing at the HARDer stage for a gloriously bizarre time. Jack Black was having a blast up on stage too.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ayxt_yydGxw[/youtube]
3. Chemical Brothers
Relevance and respect don’t always go hand in hand, but Chemical Brothers safely got both. 20 years later (when debut album, Exit Planet Dust came out), and the pioneering duo captivated fans for a sensory 90-minute live show.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qdt80zjZyg[/youtube]
4. Fetty Wap and Rae Sremmurd
Fetty Wap and Rae Sremmurd brought it in for the rap side of the festival. Being the mega-rap stars that they are, they had their packed fans singing along to each of their crowd-pleasing hits and simply having a good time.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJeJfNDU78M[/youtube]
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EgoGPtx8oM[/youtube]
5. Boys Noize and Hudson Mohawke
While Boys Noize and Hudson Mohawke were playing at nearly the same time on different stages, they did congregate for a secret show later that week to celebrate Boys Noize Records’ 10 Year Anniversary. I managed to shift between both their stages at HARD, and noticed that these were two acts that kept their whole set an especially interesting ride and thrilled their fans throughout. Both are mavericks in their own lanes, Boys Noize’s electro-techno and HudMo’s trap/electronic, so maneuvering between those experiences was a trip.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ze3D-2UPjn8[/youtube]
[youtube]https://youtu.be/y2DRDbOoc0U[/youtube]
Oh, and here's a dude finessin' at Makonnen's set
Keep up with all HARD events here.
**ALL CREDITS DUE TO RESPECTIVE OWNERS OF VIDEOS**
