You’ve probably noticed that I haven’t touched on the music yet, and that’s because I feel like I really don’t need to. Take one look at the line-up and you know that TomorrowWorld absolutely knocked it out of the park when it came to sets. Main stage staples like Tiësto, Zedd, Kaskade, Martin Garrix, NERVO, Steve Aoki etc. played exactly what you’d expect them to, delivering hit after hit after hit. That’s not a bad thing, mind you, as those aforementioned artists all make fantastic music. It was just a bit predictable. Also, I kid you not, five artists in a row played Icona Pop’s I Love It. Again, this isn’t a knock against the festival. Rather, it’s just another instance of knowing exactly what you’re going to get if you hang out at the main stage. But that’s what some people like, and if you came to TomorrowWorld for the mainstream hits/anthems, you got them in spades.
That being said, particular main stage highlights included the always loveable Zedd, Showtek (who I was seeing live for the first time), David Guetta (who pleasantly surprised me with some of the stuff he did in his set), Martin Garrix (whose endless energy will always amaze me) and Kygo (who replaced Avicii and did one hell of a job. Seriously, I love this guy and he really needs to get the recognition and attention he deserves).
Still, even with the heavy hitters amping up the massive crowd over on main, I often found myself wondering over to some of the smaller stages, where I caught artists like Romeo Blanco, Kidnap Kid, Audien, Le Castle Vania and more. While not terribly familiar with any of those aforementioned names, I ended up enjoying the hell out of all of their sets, discovering new music in the process and realizing more than ever that the main stage is not always where the biggest party is at. Again, there’s nothing wrong with the songs being played on the main stage and the artists playing them, but some of the smaller DJs playing at the less populated stages put on an equally enjoyable show.
TomorrowWorld 2014 was by far the biggest festival I’ve ever been to, and though I unfortunately cannot yet compare it to its Belgium counterpart, I will say that I was impressed with what ID&T’ did and it more than lived up to my expectations. Was it a perfect experience? No, it wasn’t. There are several things that can be improved upon for next year, and I hope that they will be. But my gripes with the fest were minor at best, and overall, I definitely enjoyed my time in the remote, yet beautiful location of Chattahoochee Hills. And if there’s one thing for sure, it’s that you can bet I’ll be making the trip down to George come next September for another unforgettable weekend of madness.
Thanks for the memories, ID&T. I’ll be seeing you next summer in Belgium!
