Day two was the last half day of the festival with the gates opening at 5pm and music kicking off at 6. Photopassed favorites, Dreamers, jumped on stage (okay, only singer Nick Wold jumped, but it was impressive nonetheless) kicking into “Wolves (You Got Me)” their first single from 2014. Dreamers have been on the South Florida festival scene since their first debut in 2016 at Riptide Music Festival on Fort Lauderdale Beach and have been returning once a year since. With their robust touring schedule, we surprisingly haven't gotten a club show with Dreamers, yet, but they definitely pack a crowd at their festival appearances. We were treated to a cover of “Zombie” by The Cranberries, and the set ended with the trifecta of singles off of 2016’s This Album Does Not Exist: “DRUGS,” “Painkiller,” and “Sweet Disaster.”
Wolves (You Got Me) / Shooting Shadows / Cry Out For Me / Black and White / Last Love Song / Little New Moon / Come Down Slow / Karma / Zombie (The Cranberries cover) / DRUGS / Painkiller / Sweet Disaster
Olivia O’Brien is an eighteen year old singer from California who went from Soundcloud cover star to Ford Stage performer at Sunfest in just over two years. After catching the attention of rapper Gnash with a cover “Disposable” he invited Olivia to perform on the first single off his third EP Us. “i hate u, i love u” peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 and since them she has released her debut EP, It’s Not That Deep. “This is my first festival!” she exclaimed on the stage between songs. First fest or not, she amped up the growing crowd in anticipation of Zedd. Her set included “Root Beer” and “Trust Issues,” which had a group of girls passionately singing along in the front row, and a cover of SZA’s “The Weekend” which she admitted is her “favorite song to sing in the entire world.” Though Olivia O’Brien became known through putting her own spin on known songs, it’s the passion that comes through her originals that is skyrocketing her fame.
The sun set on day two setting up a perfect atmosphere for Incubus to close out the Jet Blue Stage. Coming on stage to a screaming crowd, they were more than happy to start with high energy and keep the momentum going with “Privilege” and “Anna Molly.” Singer Brandon Boyd fed off the love those in attendance were providing, which only amplified his vocals, hitting every note, and kept the rest of the band passionately following along. It wasn’t until five songs in when the opening chord of “Megalomaniac” hit did I realize just how many people had crowded to catch the set. Despite Jet Blue being a smaller amphitheater style stage, fans had packed onto the hill, the street below, and as far back as you could see, all screaming as Boyd varied from crouching down and belting out some truly incredible notes, to swinging his picture perfect hair wildly around. The band paid tribute to Snoop Dogg, melding “Gin and Juice” with “Are You In?” and INXS with a cover of “Need you Tonight.” Naturally the band broke off from their closer “Wish You Were Here” to blend in just enough of Pink Floyd. Raucous applause ensued as the band returned to the stage and led into their encore of “Drive” and “Warning” two of the most well-known Incubus songs dating back to the early 2000’s.
Privilege / Circles / Anna Molly / Nimble Bastard / Megalomaniac / State of the Art / Pardon Me / Nice to Know You / Sick Sad Little World / Are You In? / Calgone / Need You Tonight / No Fun / Wish You Were Here / Drive / Warning
The night was coming to a close, but not before Zedd was given a chance to cap it off with the perfect blend of electronic beats and visual effects. Donned in a simple Disney shirt and raised on a three-tiered platform, Zedd looked like he was ready to just hang out and chill. Well, if by “hang out and chill” you mean send a massive sea of Floridians into a frenzy as fireworks kicked off the set as Zedd spun “Stay,” his No. 7 Billboard hit with Alessia Cara. With LED wands and “West Palm Loves Zedd” signs waving in the air, the crowd obviously felt every thump of the bass while their eyes absorbed laser beams and pyrotechnics. No one can deny that there is no better way to end a night than dancing along with thousands of others during an audio-visual feast and Zedd did not disappoint. If fireworks and pyro wasn’t enough, how about confetti? Sparklers? He had it all. In recent years Sunfest has welcomed some of the hottest current EDM artists (think Marshmello, Kaskade, Pretty Lights and more) and Zedd was the next in line to take the torch. The visuals in his performance were well paced as he burned through an hour and a half of hits such as “Break Free,” “Clarity” and the summer’s Top 40 hit “The Middle.”
Stay (w/ Alessia Cara) / Bohemian Rhapsody (Queen cover) / Humble / Break Free (Ariana Grande cover) / One More Time (Mike Candys & Jack Holiday cover) / The Middle / Clarity / Don't Stop Me Now (Queen cover) / Alive (Empire of the Sun cover)
Zedd
Incubus
Olivia O'Brien
Dreamers
Sunfest Atmosphere
photos and review by Megan Garzone and Dan Karanikis
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