![]() ![]() ![]() Illenium dominated the crowd from hilltop to front row. On the heels of a dynamic set from Gryffin, Illenium’s dramatic entrance set to his swelling underscore shook the ground. Still, few could even think of topping Illenium, the name on the mind of most attendees who had begun chanting for his set since festival gates opened.Īs he took the stage, the crowd had swelled to fill the standing space, clad with rainbow lights, bouncing inflatables and waves of neon. The combination of Big Wild’s “something for everyone” set and a tantalizing live sound made their time on stage one to remember.įan Exuberance: It was on full display Friday. Now, years later, it’s his to command come Saturday night.Īlong with all that came a flurry of electrifying sets throughout Breakaway’s first day.įittingly, one of the biggest shows of the day was Big Wild’s set.Ī wide-reaching ensemble of styles and energy, the crowd filled the air as “6’s to 9’s” bounced around the park, and thrashed their heads to a cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Black Dog” complete with classic rock showmanship. “It’s like it’s all coming full circle,” said Kellen Voss, 22, from Zeeland.Ī four-time Breakaway attendee, he said he remembers seeing Quinn XCII, a Michigan native, as an opener on stage. Seeing the outpouring of support and drive to bring back live music was reassuring, he said.Īnd armed with big names such as Illenium (Friday night’s headliner) and Quinn XCII (closing out Saturday), the idea of the festival’s phoenix-like revival was in the air. “It’s awesome to see all of the Michigan artists come up like that.”Īs the first day came to a close, one of those local artists, festival MC and DJ Choff of Grand Rapids, reminisced with the crowd on the chance that six months ago, Breakaway 2021 could have been another blank spot on a calendar. “It’s amazing to see how much has changed throughout COVID-19 - what artists are going where, seeing everything that doing,” he said. "Literally, I'm cold as fuck," he boasted as the thermostat flirted with 90 degrees.Ĭalifornia-born, Mississippi-based brothers Khalif "Swae Lee" and Aaquil "Slim Jxmmi" Brown of Rae Sremmurd countered with a high-energy set built on short, Twitter friendly proclamations, many of which arrived embedded with their own hashtags: "She might be a #trendingtopic" "She think she love me/I think she #trollin'." The pair later turned up during a late-evening set from DJ Dillon Francis, whose time onstage felt like the musical equivalent of a Michael Bay film: big, loud and polished, but ultimately hollow.Headlining Magic: Illenium closed out the night with an electric set. Rapper Lil Uzi Vert followed with skittish, electro-charged tunes that tended to tread well-worn ground (weed, women and wealth factored heavily) and one song that had me questioning if he knew the meaning of the word literally. "You smell like light, gas, water, electricity, rent," he beamed.Įarlier Breakaway performers, in contrast, tended to celebrate more hedonistic pleasures.ĮDM DJ Prince Fox mixed in party-ready anthems (LMFAO's "Shots," DJ Snake and Lil Jon's "Turn Down for What") that drew the anticipated Pavlovian response from the party-eager crowd. ![]() On "Sunday Candy," which closed out his set, the rapper threw his arms around his grandmother, equating her scent with a stable home life. Songs referenced the ongoing Black Lives Matter movement and celebrated the importance of family. On "Church," a steamy turn every bit as sticky as the late-August air, the MC appeared torn between earthly desires ("She want to drink, do drugs and have sex tonight") and his newfound spiritual responsibilities ("But I have church in the morning").Įven with a growing focus on the heavens, Chance remained tethered to the earth. During "Heaven Only Knows," a video backdrop briefly displayed a series of stained glass windows, adding to the sanctified air. On "Blessings," Chance even channeled a Baptist preacher as he repeatedly asked the crowd, "Are you ready?" with growing fervor. Above all else, the rapper's music has gradually embraced a more spiritual element, which surfaced in everything from his words - "I speak to God in public," he offered frankly on one song - to the music, which frequently adopted hand-clapping, rafter-shaking elements of gospel hymns. ![]()
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