Looking back on a year filled with festivals, the Moon Lvnding team spanned the map, soaking in all of the sights and sounds our community has come to cherish. From OG festivals like Coachella, EDCLV, and Dreamstate to the first-ever Ursa Major, this year’s events boasted insane lineups and once-in-a-lifetime sets. 2023 seems to have emerged as the year of the B2B, treating audiences to rare pairings on nearly every lineup. Here are some standout moments from our team that we thought worth sharing:
What was your favorite set? Where was it and why was it your favorite?
“A Tale of Us at Coachella. This was the first time I had experienced those visuals and one of their sets. The music had me captured from the moment they hit play. What an amazing experience.”
“GRiZ b2b Zeds Dead at Electric Zoo. It was one of the most epic sets, with non-stop bangers from start to finish.”
Grant Soffer – Chief Operating Officer
“John Summit and Subtronics surprise b2b at EDC Las Vegas. It was awesome because not only was it a surprise, but John Summit and Subtronics are two of my favorite artists. It was cool to see both of them do a slightly different set than their normal sets. I also got lucky enough to be in the third row at Circuit Grounds and got to see the two of them smiling and laughing and having a fun time with their set.”
Jessica Duncan – Assignment Director
“Caspa at the Black Box in Denver. Getting to see the OG of dubstep in an intimate venue was wild! Shoutout to the Black Box team for always holding it down for the underground.”
Madeline Hancock – Video Editor
“Hard to say… one of my favorites was Odesza at Electric Forest. I was with some awesome friends and it was the first night, so we were super excited. There was an amazing light show, so much emotion, and it was at my favorite stage ever, Ranch at the Forest!”
“Andrew Bayer at Dreamstate — a fantastic overall trance set that made me dance and cry.”
“Adventure Club EZoo ‘Day 1 Afterparty’ at the legendary Webster Hall in NYC. Obviously, EZoo Day 1 never happened, but I copped these Adventure Club tickets immediately at presale because they are one of my all-time faves, and the set was everything I wanted. They played a ton of OG classics, deep cuts, and even their remix of Britney’s ‘Till the World Ends’ that I had been tweeting at them all week. The afterparty had become the main attraction since Day 1 was canceled, so the energy of a full house at Webster Hall was intense! It was my favorite Adventure Club set in the 10+ years I’ve seen them live.”
“Lab Group at the Okeechobee afterparty! I just love the vibe at campsite afterparties, and we had all the homies together who love experimental wonky music, so we were all having a blast screaming, ‘Lab group till I die, come to class with me!’ In hindsight, it was also the last Lab Group set I will get to see since they are going their own ways.”
What was your favorite festival you attended?
Grant – “Day Trip this year had to be my favorite. It was such a great lineup of house music, and I saw my favorite artist at the time, Tita Lau. I went last minute with one of my best friends, and we were able to catch all of our favorite artists and make tons of new friends and memories we won’t forget.”
Kate – “EDC Las Vegas — getting to go on the guest list was an unreal experience. I got to be in the booth for Mau P and backstage at several other sets, but got to rage with my closest friends in the crowd. Basically, my whole rave fam was there; we had three RVs full of people. It was a great blend of being able to experience from the crowd, but also get the all-access experience. I saw so many people I know from the music industry and partied hard with the people I love.”
Sam – “My first year at Lost Lands was my favorite of the seven festivals I went to in 2023, edging out Elements, Imagine, and EDCLV. Putting Lost Lands over the top was spending it camping with my partner, Shae, and the absolutely insane Sunday lineup at Wompy Woods. I spent the entire day, open-to-close, seeing Grabbitz, Moore Kismet, Trivecta, Kill the Noise, Excision b2b Dion Timmer, Boogie T b2b Jantsen b2b Dirt Monkey, and Adventure Club. Excision’s Friday night 2-hour set was the best I’ve ever seen him play, and I also loved what I heard from Flux Pavilion, Wooli, Alleycvt, Tape B, and the OG trap set from Yehme2. My first Lost Lands exceeded expectations!”
Chris – “EDC 2023 — year after year, it is an amazing experience.”
Nick – “Coachella! It was my first time attending, and it wasn’t like what my predetermined thoughts of the festival were. It was easy as well; my roommates had camping, so I didn’t have to camp but had the benefits of the campsite.”
Troy – “Ursa Major! After 6 years of going to shows, I have never experienced a crowd so intimate and friendly! Every single person we talked to was in high spirits; everyone just wanted to show love and spread love. There was plenty of room to dance, from the rail to the back of the lawn; everyone was there for a good time and new connections.”
Madeline – “Electric Forest. It has pretty much always been my favorite, but it did have an amazing lineup this year and tons of cool stuff to do. The group I went with was new to me but so much fun to dance and explore with, and I went with some of my best girlfriends!”
What was your favorite B2B set you saw?
Jessica – “Ben Nicky B2B Sub Zero Project at EDCLV. It was such an unlikely pairing that ended up working out really well. They played everything from old school hardstyle and a hard dance version of dance classic to modern hardcore.”
Sam – “Zeds Dead b2b GRiZ to close the festival at the bass stage of EZoo Sunday night. After all the madness of EZoo weekend 2023, everything was perfect for this set. I was with my NYC rave fam; the vibes were immaculate front and center, and there was plenty of room to dance. We got to hear GRiZ blasting his sax over Zeds Dead bangers like Collapse, Shady Intentions, and Stars Tonight before he stepped away from the stage. I couldn’t have asked for more to end a wildly chaotic weekend at what could very well be the last Electric Zoo ever.”
Grant – “I would have to go with Riot Ten b2b Jessica Audiffred at EDC Las Vegas. Two incredible artists who played off each other very well. It was awesome to watch.”
There are still a few more festivals to close out the year. Next up, catch us at Decadence Arizona, so be sure to drop by the booth and say hello — maybe even grab some merch while you’re there! We’re looking forward to 2024 and already have some amazing festival coverage planned. Stay current by following Moon Lvnding on socials using the links below.
