Romping through the ole’ western town during Goldrush Music Festival this weekend was spectacular. Relentless Beats decorated the Rawhide Event Center in Chandler AZ, with lights, vendors, food, and entertainment as attendees experienced two days of amazing talent spread across four impressive stages. This festival is quite unique with its modern spin on a western theme. They rent out an entire western town replica for this special event only and there were a ton of activities to partake in, places to explore, and food to indulge yourself. Below, OneEDM dives into the details of the environment, weather, and unique amenities offered while attending Goldrush Music Festival.
Environment/Weather
First night consisted of hotter temperatures with quite a lot of dust. This is a common thing for Rawhide Event Center. If you go to any events there, it would be recommended to bring a mask or bandana with you to prevent breathing in all the dust particles. Relentless Beats took extra precautions and had grass placed out by the main stage to prevent less dust exposure. They had ‘relentless rangers’ walking around spraying the crowd with water. It helped to cool the crowd off and had the added benefit of wetting the dirt to keep the dust down. Then they offered several outlets and places to explore to help disperse the crowd and allow for ample space at each stage.
However, on the second night, it started to sprinkle rain around 6 p.m. and persisted on throughout the night. With 70 degree weather, it was absolutely fantastic! The energy the second night was electrifying – people were really loving the rain. There were several places where people could relax and find shelter from the rain if needed. The rain had the added bonus of really lowering the dust particle levels in the air. Overall, great planning on Relentless Beat’s part. It was a fantastic two days of Arizona climate to showcase a western themed festival.
Food
There were a ton of options to satisfy your appetite while attending Goldrush AZ. It was a completely cashless event so patrons had to use money linked to their wristbands to buy any food or merchandise. Relentless Beats brought back the Pizza Tavern which they’ve had since the first Goldrush. There were corn dogs, chicken strips, and french fries. Plus, the new options were fantastic. It included Steam Buns, Spam Musubi and Elote (also known as Mexican corn). Looking for dessert? Churro Go Nutz had donuts and churro sundaes which looked absolutely delightful.
Thirsty? Well, then why don’t you wet your whistle with some Goldrush inspired cocktails from the Honky Tonk Watering Hole like the Steve Aoki Snake Oil. The “watering hole” name for alcohol booths was a fantastic play on words to incorporate old western lingo. Gypsy Cup was also there to offer hot and cold coffee options, which was especially nice during the rainy weather.
Have a sweet tooth? Some of the attractions included Sweet Sally’s candy shop, where they sold old-fashioned candy and suckers. Plus Pop Icon was on site selling light up lanyards with lollipops. They refill the lollipop heads whenever you bring your lanyard back and they sell them at a lot of the major festivals around the US.
Vendors
They had some awesome options for vendors while attending Goldrush AZ. Electrothreads was there, rocking their black light shirts and funky glasses. They also had several options for bandanas and face masks. The Flow Shop, a local AZ festival clothing store, showcased some amazing outfits for both for men and women along with some bandanas and crazy glasses. They were super friendly and allowed people to try on clothing before buying. Risq Clothing was a new edition of the festival and they had some reflective style clothing that was absolutely fantastic. A lot of patrons bought jackets the second night because of the rain and the way these jackets reflected when the light hit them was stunning. Definitely a great jacket for a jogger or someone who likes to make an impression!
Attractions
There were several activities to partake in over the course of the two-day festival. From the moment you entered the town, there were several western themed areas for photo taking, including the giant horse light up cacti, and goldrush painted sign. It also included a rock climbing wall and in one of the shops, a mechanical bull for patrons to test their reflexes and skills.
There was a rawhide jail with a sheriff and his band of rangers overseeing it. People could go in and chat with him, take pictures locked up in one of the jail cells, or hang outside on the porch with the rocking chairs. The sheriff was very friendly and had tons of facts about the old west which peaked the curiosity of several festival goers. It looked like a show and tell at one point with all the people sitting down inside the jail listening to him talk about the west. Galaxy Dipped was also there, marbleizing people’s arm for fashion and fun!
There was a shooting range with a line of fake pump action shotguns. You activated the shotgun by pressing a button and you got 20 shots per round by aiming and shooting at the red lights scattered throughout a western scene. Each red light activated a booby trap where water would squirt, pans would rattle, or household items moved. It was very interactive and fun to watch as people would take turns discovering what each red dot was triggered to do.
Special Moments with the Music – Day 1
Lastly, here is a special recap of the talent and amazing crowd moments over the two days of Goldrush Music Festival. The first night, the crowd was electric for Said The Sky who came out with a fierce live percussion. Their performance brought a large crowd to the main stage and they set up the energy for an amazing night of talent. Shortly after Said The Sky at the main stage was Chris Lake. He brought out all those housey vibes with signature club songs like “Pizza” from Anti Up. He was feeling the crowd’s energy and nearly doubled the crowd by the end of his set.
At the same time, Claptone was playing at the Hideout. The Hideout was a smaller more intimate stage for festival goers looking for a more intimate crowd. His funky house and unique style of djing brought in a large crowd of shufflers. Shortly after, Slushii threw down the bass with a whomping good time at the main stage. At the same time, Squnto and Yookie were throwing down at Pioneer Peak. Their refined bass literally rocked the ground around the stage. With the stage’s ample space at Pioneer Peak, people were stomping, shuffling, using lights, and head banging with respect to their fellow festival goers. Deorro killed mainstage with some memorable songs and Virtual Riot set up the perfect headbanger for attendees at the Pioneer Peak stage.
Deadmau5 closed the first night out on the main stage with his fantastic cube 2.0. The cube was several stories high and Deadmau5 sat at the top with his iconic mask. He laid down some funky beats while pushing some amazing visuals from the cube. The cube being positioned with a corner facing the crowd almost gave it a 3D or infinity mirror feel which made it even more spectacular to watch. Liquid Stranger threw down for his hometown as he closed out the night at the same time on Pioneer Peak Stage. His bass and beats were electrifying and his set had people talking for days after the festival.
Special Moments with the Music – Day 2
The second night, the lineup was amazing and very well spread out. Matroda, Medasin, Ekali, and Saymyname all killed their sets with very uniquely different djing styles. Tokimonsta was a crowd favorite as well as Slander and Porky who played at Hideout. Black Tiger Sex Machine came out with an impressive Sunday Service intro that lit up the crowd into a dancing frenzy. It was intense, beautiful, and dancing in the crowd was exciting during their set.
Illenium’s live set was one of the most memorable sets of the weekend. From the magnitude of the crowd to all the hype on social media after the event, everyone was buzzing about his live ensemble. People sang their hearts out, held their friends or complete strangers, and fell back in love with the beautiful style and lyrics of his the music that made him famous. He really knows how to evoke a crowd and it was amazing to be a part of such a wonderful experience!
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