What the kids wanted

Party on: During Chromeo’s second-to-last song—during the last set of TBD Fest last weekend—the lights went out. Not an issue for the Canadian electro-funk duo. David Macklovitch instructed everyone to whip out their smartphones—to crowdsource light, basically—for the final farewell, and it felt just right.

Chromeo’s over-the-top cheesiness—Macklovitch perpetually looked liked he was posing for a photo-op—felt just right to close out the festival as well, perhaps because Chromeo played the festival back when it was called Launch three years ago. So much has changed.

Organizers estimated 30,000 people attended over the course of three days, a significant jump from last year’s 21,000. While Friday and Sunday offered breathing room, Saturday was crazy-packed, with hundreds of angry people stuck at the water line and thick, dusty air by nightfall.

Still, the water, dust, shade and VIP sections were all greatly improved from last year. More room for improvement? Sure. Ditto on the food selection, which heavily relied on food trucks and national festival food businesses rather than local chefs. Chef competitions returned, but in a not completely successful food-truck format with poor sightlines and awkward commentary.

Anyway, Saturday’s success just proved that the kids want EDM these days and that TBD does EDM really well. Its headliner Pretty Lights indeed brought pretty lights, though Porter Robinson’s anime- and confetti-laden set went over even better, with possibly the most stoked crowd all weekend. (Except Death Grips, because Death Grips.) Cut Copy bridged the rock band and dancey electronica arenas well. And Chance the Rapper delivered a polished, jazzy set full of charm and audience connection.

Friday and Sunday boasted EDM too, of course, but with distinctly different vibes. Friday brought out more hip-hop fans for Tyler, the Creator and Death Grips and the bass-heavy stylings of the Glitch Mob. Sunday brought out indie rock, disco and ’80s fans for the likes of Dr. Dog, Chromeo and Tears for Fears.

Yes, Death Grips actually showed up! The band began with a flurry of drums and screaming and head banging. Hilariously, ballet dancers with Capital Dance Project were still twirling mere feet away—their movements definitely did not match the hardcore punk aggression from Sacramento’s legendary experimental hip-hop group, but at this point, frankly, no one was watching them anyway.

Performing in front of a blindingly white screen, the members of Death Grips just looked like silhouettes for their whole set. Frenzied crowd surfers lunged toward the stage, hoping to get a better look at Stefan Burnett a.k.a. MC Ride, before getting consumed again by the biggest mosh pit all weekend. As promised, Zach Hill was a beast on drums, Burnett was primal on the mic and they didn’t pause for the entirety of their 45-minute set. They played fast and loud and hard and did I say loud? I don’t know if I’ll ever hear the same way again.

Earlier on Friday, Purity Ring shined with one of the most captivating performances all weekend. The lights, stage design and Megan James’ futuristic bodysuit all helped create a spellbinding effect—aptly placed fans even blew her hair at just the right angles—but it was James’ elegant, pitch-perfect voice that hypnotized most.

Sunday’s standout was even earlier in the day: Dr. Dog, clearly a band meant for the stage and not for MP3 files. Even in the 4 p.m. dire heat, a huge crowd grooved in full force to Dr. Dog’s folky rock jams.

Tears for Fears opened with its huge hit “Everybody Wants to Rule the World,” immediately drawing people into hardcore ’80s nostalgia. But it moved on to play some of its more mainstream-sounding rock as well, and oddly a cover of Radiohead’s “Creep.” I wasn’t a huge fan of that choice, but overall, Tears proved its worth as a TBD Fest heavyweight.

After its second year, TBD Fest still has some kinks to work out, but they’re just kinks. Ultimately, the lineup excelled in its balance of electronic, hip-hop and indie rock—genres we’d like to see more of in Sacramento on a regular basis.

In other words, great party.