In this day and age, there is so much competition in the world of EDM and festivals. Disco Donnie Presents has done it again, as we wrap up from an unforgettable Memorial Day weekend here in the Tampa Bay. Despite past mishaps with Sunset Music Festival, Disco Donnie has redeemed themselves for their 8th installment. They have been a pioneer in the EDM industry for over 25 years, spanning all around the United States as one of the biggest promoting companies in the game. Sunset Music Festival took place this Memorial Day weekend (Saturday May 25th and 26th 2019) on the grounds of Raymond James Stadium in sunny Tampa, FL.
Keeping Cool
Everyone’s man objective this Sunset Music Festival was to keep cool. Both days temperatures were in the 90s with lots of Florida humidity to boot. There were big misters that made it rain on us and a plethora of areas to sit and take a load off (our favorite was the Red Bull area). Additionally, there were also two fully air-conditioned music tents, and free water. If you were good about drinking lots of water, fueling your body properly and taking a break when needed, your weekend should have ended without a hitch. Around the festival grounds, there were many volunteers walking around with neon Celebrate Safe shirts. It was very reassuring to know that there were medically-trained personnel to keep everyone out of harm’s way.
With temperatures in the 90s on Saturday, officials saw an uptick in fans seeking medical treatment. Tampa Fire Rescue handled 91 calls for service on site, up from 66 on last year’s first day, with 30 fans taken to local hospitals for non-life-threatening concerns. Many of them were related to the heat, said Tampa Police spokesman Eddy Durkin. – Tampa Bay Times
Day One of Sunset Music Festival
Day one was hot, both the lineup and the temperature, but that did not stop people from getting down on the dance floor. We started the day with a Florida favorite Holly Woods. If you haven’t heard of her yet, check her out on Soundcloud. Rachel (also known as Holly Woods) graced the Cool Down tent in a plaid mini skirt, crop top and the cutest thick-rimmed black glasses as she performed. She lit the Cool Down Get Down tent on fire with her tracks. Her set had us grooving to the beats from 4-5 pm. Next up on the list was Destructo on the Sunset Stage. Gary Richards (aka Destructo ) has been performing since the mid-’90s, as well as putting together his own events. His sets are best defined by a genuine blend of techno and electro-house.
If you wanted some heavy wubs, up next was Subtronics at the Eclipse Stage. Sometimes, it is good to stray off your planned artists-to-watch to see new talents. Subtronics was a pleasant surprise and really got the crowd going. Sunset Music Festival definitely had a great variety of different genres. Tchami lit up those future house vibes on the Sunset Stage. Illenium on the Sunset Stage and Flux Pavilion and Rusko on the Eclipse Stage played the most notable and high-powered sets of Saturday. Nick Miller (Illenium) just gets us early 2000s emo kids with his melodic dubstep. His music hits right in the feels.
Blast Off to Day Two
Day two was noticeably hotter than day one but that did not deter us Sunsetters. As we all lathered on our sunscreen and sipped our water while passing through security, you could hear the sweet sounds of Tampa Bay local Kyle Kinch on the Sunset Stage. We were ready to party as our feet did the moving, the misters soaked our hot bodies and famous tunes by Phantoms got us grooving. Next up was bass music duo BONNIE x CLYDE, Rose Gang represent. Daniel Litman and Paige Lopynski make up this unique electronic duo. While Daniel does the djing, Paige often sings live to their tracks. Their sets take you to a magical place. There is nothing better than good vibes at a music festival, and at SMF, the vibes were on point.
As the sun started to cool down, Said The Sky took the Eclipse Stage. On Sunday, this stage was hosted by Dead Beats (Zeds Dead’s label). Said The Sky took us through a melodic dubstep journey. The crowd jumped to his his well-known “Fireflies” remix and A Day To Remember’s “If It Means A Lot To You.” Up next was the infamous Kaskade for an unforgettable sunset set. One of the founding fathers to the scene since 1989, Kaskade was easily a fan favorite for Sunday. He has no problem keeping up with the new talent, which is admirable.
To close out the weekend, we had Zeds Dead. All the bass heads swarmed the stage for this set. These men just know what it takes to get everyone on their feet. They remixed old-school classics like the famous song by The Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby” and Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway To Heaven.” Not many artists can touch such well-known hits and do it well but Zeds Dead manages to do so.
Thank You
Finally, One EDM would like to thank Magnum PR, Disco Donnie Presents, Sunset Events and all the other entities who went into creating such a magical event. Until next year.
Illenium @Unicorns Take Photos Too Gabriel & Dresden @Unicorns Take Photos Too 
Kaskade @Unicorns Take Photos Too Gammer @Unicorns Take Photos Too Subtronics @Unicorns Take Photos Too @Unicorns Take Photos Too
