Event Review: Identity Festival at Mansfield, MA

It seemed like an eternity ago that I had bought my $25 ticket for ID Fest back in April as I entered the gateway of the Comcast Center on Thursday. Despite this, Identity Festival was finally here and I was beyond excited for some of my favorite artists to perform. Despite the onslaught of awful outfits (really, some of them were BAD) the crowd was all smiles as we meandered through the forested venue. Our festival experience begun as we relaxed in the Rockstar Energy Drink tent as The Eye performed. His set was well mixed and versatile, perfect to start the day off. The Eye’s set was followed by the tail end of DVBBS who I personally enjoyed because they managed to wrap electro-house, some trance-like house, and dubstep all in the short timeframe I caught them in.

Le Castle Vania

Next up: Le Castle Vania. Le Castle Vania was probably the most disappointing performance of the day. Although I have always enjoyed his production skills (check out his remix of “Turn It Down”), his purely electro-house set lacked variation and relied too heavy on bass-heavy drops. I stepped out for a while just to give my ears a break. His set seemed to be at full intensity from start to finish and could have used some sections to bring the energy back down and let the crowd give their legs and ears a break. Eva Simons performed a quick twenty-minute performance afterward, but I was busy refilling my water and eating a pretzel while she was on.

Arty @ Identity

Arty

Arty was absolutely magical as the sun set over the Comcast Center. Although his set did not contain any big surprises (coming from an Arty fan), he definitely seemed to surprise the crowd with the great vibes and energy he brought, as we got ready for the bigger portion of the performances. His hits, “Mozart,” “Trio,” and “Rebound” dominated the stage’s sound system and put me in a perfect mood for the rest of the evening.

Madeon

Madeon took the stage right after Arty and brought the heat. Just like the first time I saw Madeon, he packed as many songs as humanly possible into just an hour. I was pleasantly surprised by how different his set was from when I saw him back at EDCNY in May, while maintaining a set list that fit well for the Frenchman. Madeon brought the same gusto that he did at EDCNY, although technically he fell a little short compared to Insomniac’s massive festival. Madeon closed his set for the night with his newest single, “Finale” which is simply meant for large arenas like the Comcast Center.

Wolfgang Gartner @ Identity Fest

Wolfgang Gartner

Wolfgang Garter has been one of my most consistent musical interests since I began listening to electronic music. Finally having the opportunity to see one of the biggest names in electro-house made me very happy on Thursday. The transition between Gartner and Madeon was smooth and he quickly unleashed the mayhem. Technically all of Gartner’s mixing was spot on. No long filtering sequences, no poorly cut transitions, just tight mixing on some filthy tracks. The crowd was breaking a well-deserved sweat as Gartner left the stage and only Prydz remained for the night.

Eric Prydz @ Identity Festival

Eric Prydz

Prydz started fifteen minutes earlier than expected (so lag between changing sets) which was such a pleasant surprise on my end. He started the night with his devastating remix of Depeche’s Mode “Personal Jesus.” Listening to this track on something other than a festival sound system does not do it justice. Prydz pummeled the crowd with the track and prepared us for the voyage we were about to take with him. Prydz cycled through his discography with ease. He layered every sound perfectly and built up each track through layers of intensity. His hour and a half set could have easily been one very long song. The energy of the massive crowd was peaking through his classic, “Pjanoo.” Following this, emotions were high for one of this summer’s biggest hits, “Allein.” Prydz closed the night of the festival with his vocal mash-up against “Mirage.” Despite the crowd’s lengthy chants for an encore, Prydz left us wanting more. The biggest surprise of the night (according to the faces of those around me) was Prydz’s insane remix of Deadmau5’s “The Veldt.” Stripped of vocals, the track soared through the sound system and melded perfectly with the rest of his set. Check out the video of this massive tune below!

Overall, I was incredibly satisfied with the event that Identity put on. Being able to bring in food and water really made my day a better experience than a lot of festivals because I got to spend less than $10 once I arrived at the festival. Obviously safety is always a concern when letting food and drink into a venue, but it really does make the experience that much more enjoyable. Great ticket prices, great music, and great times!

Article by: Daniel Shaw

About the Author

Daniel Shaw Economics student by day, raver by night - Dan hails from Poughkeepsie, but tries to make it into New York City when classes aren't in session to catch a DJ set. Dan is overcommitted and usually sleep deprived, but that wave of emotion sparked by the best of tracks keeps him going. Twitter: @thedanielshaw