?After ceaseless overnight rain and inclement weather conditions, Day 2 of the third edition of TomorrowWorld in Chattahoochee Hills, Ga., welcomed tens of thousands of revelers who trudged through muddy fields and forests between the event’s nine stages.
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The musical highlights were overshadowed by the severe weather, which left thousands of attendees stranded without transportation or shelter Saturday (Sept. 26) night and led organizers to limit access on Sunday (Sept. 27) to those camping on-site. Billboard takes you back to the music that preceded the mayhem on Day 2:
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2:12 p.m.: Despite the bad weather, festival-goers are inspired to keep the good vibes going with the help of bass house bambino Will Clarke. The U.K. artist kicks off the highly-anticipated All Gone Pete Tong tent — which also doubles as the day’s safe-haven from the rains outside.
3:15 p.m.: Ansolo makes his TomorrowWorld debut at the main stage, beaming with excitement after dropping his newly released single, “To Life,” that encompasses the full-circle moment of his music career. The crowd seems to fully embrace the actor-turned-DJ, with one fan even holding a sign that reads: “The Fault In Our Shuffle” — an ode to the young producer’s signature acting role in The Fault In Our Stars.
3:55 p.m.: Lauren Lane‘s tussled blonde hair bounces in sync to her tech house beats for the waning minutes of her set. As mud seeps through the tiled dance floor, the crowd nearly doubles in size as Dirtybird fans flock to catch a glimpse of house honcho Justin Jay spinning tracks like the ever-ironic “Rain Dance.”
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6:02 p.m.: The sun decides to emerge for roughly 15 minutes, spurring hundreds of ravers to cheer in unison and greet the short but welcome glimpse of sky after a dreary two days. Patrons dressed as Ninja Turtles sweat profusely through their costumes after initiating shuffling battles to the deep pulsating sounds of Kidnap Kid.
7:30 p.m.: The Dirtybird affair continues with Justin Martin dropping a VIP edit of his current infectious smash, “Function,” off the Dirtybird 10 compilation album. Pete Tong‘s silky radio voice echoes over the speakers to greet a roaring sea of fans: “Welcome to Saturday night with Pete Tong! Give it up for Justin Martin!”
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8:30 p.m.: TomorrowWorld pays tribute to Atlanta’s unheralded but vibrant dance music scene with its curated ATL stage where hybrid live-electronic locals Q|Q turn over the reins to four-man collective Wiggle Factor.
8:45 p.m.: “I want every single person clapping along!” yells Adventure Club‘s Leighton James, dropping Flume’s standout remix of Lorde‘s “Tennis Court.” The swelling crowd quickly complies. Smiling beneath a wide-brimmed black hat, his girlfriend — Yasmin Yousaf of Krewella — is on hand to cheer on the Montreal duo’s main stage turn.
9:07 p.m.: Finishing strong, Adventure Club enthralls its main stage audience with the breakthrough 2011 remix of Flight Facilities‘ “Crave You.” The rework’s purring vocals and shuddering synth-driven drop remain timeless and effective, sending the flailing masses into movement.
9:21 p.m.: Straight from celebrating the closing parties in Ibiza — this year being BBC Radio 1’s 20th anniversary — legendary host Pete Tong takes to the decks for an extremely funky performance of seemingly new tunes for an unforgettable two-hour set.
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11:05 p.m.: Lorin Ashton — known to his fervent fan base as Bassnectar — smiles and sips water beneath a tent by the Mythical Frames stage, where Gramatik is currently dropping funky broken beats for its totem-clutching crowd. “I hurt my neck,” the longtime metal head admits with a sheepish grin. “I was headbanging too hard.”
11:21 p.m.: Gramatik finishes his set on a jazzy note with contemplative piano notes and funk-infused bass throbs. “Thank you so much y’all, make some noise for holy Bassnectar,” he crows to a swell of cheers from the gathered bass heads.
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11:48 p.m.: Bassnectar shows Atlanta some love with a muscular rendition of hometown heroes Outkast‘s “ATLiens,” spurring a cascade of cheers while he segues into a cheery reggae-inspired cut.
12:17 p.m.: Claude VonStroke and Green Velvet, known under their joint alias Get Real, ensnare all who dare enter their lair of techno turbulence. The vibe can’t be beaten when Velvet drops his searing Harvard Bass collaboration, “Lazer Beams,” then induces the crowd to sing along to his iconic anthem, “Flash.”
12:26 p.m.: Knowing that some festival-goers in attendance may be hearing him for the first time, Bassnectar wisely layers accessible hip-hop hooks like “What you know about that?”, “Oh, I think they like me” and “Every day I’m hustling” above his set’s unrelenting procession of crushing bass beats and searing phaser synths.
12:47 p.m.: “Freak in the morning, freak in the evening” repeats the pitched-down refrain from Bassnectar’s current track selection. A grinning young man named Sean wears a shirt marking him as an official ‘Bassnectar Ambassador’ and pours water into the mouths of diehard fans pressed up against the rail in the front row. “It was Lorin’s idea to start doing that,” he explains. “His fans are really important to him.”
THANK YOU @TOMORROWWORLD! We love you! Now blasting off to California to hit @BayAreaVibez with NaS, Z-Trip & more! pic.twitter.com/2TiVVyPWNp
— bassnectar (@bassnectar) September 27, 2015