Rain and lightning may have soured the festival’s opening night, but Head Trip truly gave dance music its day in the sun.
On October 10-11, Goldenvoice’s one-time-only electronic festival assembled a nostalgia-laced lineup of EDM A-listers, first-time B2Bs, and rare appearances from club music’s top DJs at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California.
Calvin Harris, Swedish House Mafia, and Skrillex—probably the three biggest acts of America’s first EDM boom in the early and mid-2010s—performed at the Coachella venue for crowds of up to 90,000, who reveled in the chance to hear the icons with whom many of them entered the scene all in one weekend. Then, all in one night.
Every year, Goldenvoice executes the most-watched festival on the planet, as the eyes, ears, and algorithms of the world turn to the desert for Coachella: two weekends of art, fashion, and performances from music’s biggest stars. But within the famed festival’s musical DNA, there have been a few scenes worthy of outsized celebrations of their own.
In a return to the Coachella’s spiritual roots as a one-off Pearl Jam concert in 1993 (the event that stuck it to Ticketmaster and proved the Empire Polo Club’s viability for large events), Goldenvoice’s 2016 Desert Trip celebrated classic rock with two weekends of The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, Neil Young, Roger Waters, and The Who. Seven years later, Power Trip hosted classic metal icons Guns N’ Roses, Iron Maiden, AC/DC, Judas Priest, Metallica, and Tool.
And this year, as electronic music continues to gain mainstream notoriety and market share more than a decade after the advent of EDM in America, the time was finally right for Goldenvoice to give a generation of ravers a biblical party of their own. One stage. No set conflicts. One massive dance floor. Just this once.
Featuring additional performances from FISHER and Chris Lake’s Under Construction, Dom Dolla B2B KETTAMA, Peggy Gou B2B Four Tet, and DJ Harvey, the U.S. debut of Floating Points’ custom-built Sunflower Sound System, and hundreds of thousands watching online, it was the biggest rave they’ve ever thrown. And after Calvin Harris’ weather-canceled set was rescheduled for Sunday, not even mother nature could bring this party down.
Read EDM Maniac’s full report on Head Trip below.
Quick Takes
Best moments: DJ Harvey queues up “I Remember” as the clouds part on day two. Singing along to Peggy Gou’s “(It Goes Like) Nanana” at sunset. Calvin Harris closes his set with Avicii’s “Levels.”
Needs work: Technical issues with stage sound and production.
Hidden gem: Underground legends spin on Floating Points’ custom Sunflower Sound System.
Audience Match
Who this festival is for: Millennial ravers. Main stage revelers. Crate-diggers. Audiophiles.
Maybe skip if: You’re looking for more dubstep or experiential art.
Vibes: A-
For those who came of age during EDM’s oft-dubbed “Golden Era”—when artists like Calvin Harris, Swedish House Mafia, Skrillex, Avicii, and Martin Garrix ushered dance music to mainstream recognition and its first real commercial explosion—Head Trip’s lineup announcement in March was monumental.
For the often younger fans it didn’t connect with, Head Trip was labeled a “millennial festival.” “Unc fest,” some called it, pointing to a busy festival weekend elsewhere across the country, where artists with different communities like GRiZ, ISOxo and Knock2 threw their own multi-day events.
But the crowd that descended on the manicured lawns of the Empire Polo Club told a different story. While there were plenty of festivalgoers who basked in nostalgia for experiences past, just as many relished the chance to see Head Trip’s headliners live for the first time.
An oversized dancefloor offered plenty of room to move, and the people who populated it did just that. Fans of all ages danced vigorously, sang loud, were polite, and lent help to neighbors in need. Even through night one’s peak-time venue evacuation, the vibes remained high, and when the sun finally came out on Sunday, the dose of Vitamin D hit even harder. By the time Calvin Harris and Swedish House Mafia steered the party to completion, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.
From our spot on the dance floor, the energy felt more like a concert than a rave, more akin to a Coachella than an EDC. But like Desert Trip and Power Trip before it, that was the whole point. This festival was designed around a massive communal experience: dancing to the biggest DJs on the planet in unison with tens of thousands of other humans. That’s exactly what we got.
Production: B+
To pull off Head Trip’s one-time-only main stage, Goldenvoice called on High Scream, the renowned creative production company of Roman Pissenem—known for shaping club experiences at [UNVRS], Ushuaïa Ibiza, and Hï Ibiza, as well as stadium-sized spectacles at the Paris 2024 Olympics, Madison Square Garden, and the Great Pyramids of Giza—to create a singular stage “that could only exist here.”
Using the landscape as a starting point, Pissenem went for a sci-fi-inspired look: a massive oval-shaped screen that appeared as though a UFO had landed in the desert. Reminiscent of the Airstream trailers he remembered from an earlier trip to Coachella, the towering structure used reflective materials to catch desert light and palm trees, while overhead, lighting and lasers created what Pissenem called “a forest of light,” emanating from “electronic trees” that tower over the event’s sea of dancers. The goal was to place fans inside the show, wherever they are in the crowd.
On site, the stage mostly lived up to the hype, standing almost twice as wide as Coachella’s feeble-by-comparison main stage, and nearly 25 feet taller. Views of its central LED screen were stunning from almost every angle, while smaller oval screens circled the periphery of the dance floor, providing up-close production looks even from the back of the crowd. Custom visuals were produced for each act, alongside sky-high pyro, strobe, and laser blasts, shot from the stage itself and speaker stacks placed throughout the dance floor.
Attendance reports have varied in number, and we can confirm Head Trip did not sell out. The spectacle could have been even more jaw-dropping in front of a crowd at-capacity, and with more room at the front of the stage, we had to deliberately look around to absorb the full effect of the stage as we inched closer to the rail. But that was also part of the magic. There was lots of fun in bouncing from spot to spot to take in the show from different perspectives.
There were still a few production faux pas. Two of the main stage’s central speaker stacks appeared useless during part of Skrillex’s performance, significantly lowering the volume for a large portion of the crowd before they came back online by the end of the set. Though fans also pondered whether the performance’s lack of visuals was a creative or forced decision, Skrillex later apologized “for my set and sound at head trip” in a post on X, confirming some level of technical difficulties during the set.
Over at Floating Points’ Sunflower Sound System, the sound was dialed all weekend long. The heralded British musician, composer, and DJ’s custom-built hi-fi experience enveloped dancers in a surround-sound experience with 10 custom speaker stacks arranged in a circle, inside an acoustically treated, paneled dome. As an artist-booked roster of underground legends built musical tension on the decks, festivalgoers craned their necks up toward intricate laser patterns and the “Cosmosphere,” a giant mechanical mirrorball that bloomed above the room in time with each musical release.
Music: A+
Head Trip witnessed quite possibly the greatest single-day lineup in the history of EDM. When the bill was announced in March, it was already shaping up to be a weekend for the ages. But after Calvin Harris’ performance was moved to Sunday, it became a truly historic one, marking the first time Harris, Skrillex, and Swedish House Mafia played the same festival on the same day on the same stage, back-to-back-to-back, according to a report from Billboard.
Up until the venue was evacuated due to lightning in the area on opening night, an adjusted schedule had spared festivalgoers from rain inbound from the Southern California coast. Following opening B2Bs from house mainstays Seth Troxler and Ben Sterling and clubland icons Peggy Gou and Four Tet, the party was nearing its climax as Chris Lake and FISHER (performing as Under Construction) played Lake’s anthemic “Turn off the lights.” Then, the music was suddenly cut.
“That was probably the best show I’ve ever played,” Lake wrote on X the next day. “Right before the music cut, Fish had said similar. We unfortunately didn’t get any warning and didn’t get any chance to explain to you what was happening (we didn’t know either) and we got rushed off site.”
Close to 90,000 festivalgoers grappled with missing Harris’ headline performance as they shuffled out of the venue, the rain came down, and the remainder of the night was canceled. But when they awoke to clear skies and confirmation of Harris’ rescheduled set on Sunday, spirits were lifted as fans filed in for sun-kissed sets by LA staple DJ Harvey (who mixed in Kaskade and deadmau5’s “I Remember” just as the clouds broke) and Gou (filling in for The Blessed Madonna, who was unable to perform for unannounced reasons).
Each of Sunday night’s acts gave up a portion of their time slot so Harris could perform. In their second-ever B2B, Dom Dolla and KETTAMA dropped iconic tunes like Dom’s “San Frandisco” and “Think of You,” KETTAMA’s latest with Prospa, before handing the decks to Skrillex for one of the night’s most anticipated performances. Following a forward thinking set from the dubstep icon, peppered with Latin trap and baile funk beats between anthems like “Make It Bun Dem” and “Bangarang,” the energy peaked as the first chords of Harris’ “Sweet Nothing” rang out over the crowd. Singalongs ensued as the Grammy-winning Scotsman cruised through his catalog of hits: “This Is What You Came For,” “Blame,” “Feel So Close,” and more, before closing with “Levels” by the late legend Avicii, who’d surely be on the Head Trip bill if he were alive to see it.
Before we knew it, we were belting out the lyrics to Swedish House Mafia’s “Don’t You Worry Child” during the trio’s firework and drone-filled closing performance. Even the City of Indio was feeling the love: After the Swedes’ set ran 33 minutes past its curfew, local officials confirmed they’d spare Goldenvoice nearly $50,000 in sound ordinance fines.
And if you’ve been raving long enough to have witnessed the breakthroughs of Swedish House Mafia, Harris or Skrillex, you’ve probably also dug deeper than dance music’s most radio-ready hits. In that world lies Floating Points’ Sunflower Sound System, where, across the venue, the artist and his most esteemed friends and colleagues—house legend Theo Parrish, dub pioneer Mad Professor, Emmy-winning music curator and DJ Zach Cowie, Eris Drew & Octo Octa, Avalon Emerson, Ben UFO, and Four Tet—played a sweeping range of vinyl selections on the 10-stack hi-fi system, marking the experience’s first appearance in the U.S.
With massive moments of shared release on the main stage and a more intimate, finely tuned dance floor experience in Sunflower, Head Trip gave us the best of both worlds.
Venue: A
The Empire Polo Club is one of the planet’s most iconic music venues, and with good reason.
Beneath open skies dotted with palm trees and framed by views of the distant Santa Rosa Mountains, the club’s manicured lawns have hosted hundreds of music’s most influential performances, from that first history-making Pearl Jam show to Coachella’s inaugural edition in 1999 and dozens of festivals since. It was only right that EDM’s shining moment came here.
Rain and clouds are rare at the polo club and admittedly got between us and some of the venue’s beauty on night one. But when the sun came out in time for the festival’s redemption run on day two, we got what we’d been missing.
In a one-off return to the heralded venue, which also hosts Stagecoach, Head Trip halved the polo club’s typical layout, drawing its southernmost boundary near where the Do LaB currently stands at Coachella. Spacious enough for a less-than-sold-out 90,000-capacity crowd, the setup pushed main stage action to the venue’s northeast corner, near where Coachella’s Outdoor Theatre is staged, while the Sunflower Sound System sat between the venue’s centrally located beer barn and Ferris wheel.
However disappointing Saturday’s early closing was, organizers’ response to the inclement weather should be commended. An adjusted schedule kept festivalgoers dry and assured fans got as much of the main bill as possible before HQ made the tough call. Cutting music at around 9PM meant most fans were out of the venue, piling into cars and boarding shuttle buses by the time the rain started to fall. The festival’s paid shuttle service was the quickest way to get to and from the venue.
From well kept porta-potties, trailer restrooms and permanent facilities to dozens of food vendors, designated shade areas, misters, picnic tables and lounges, the polo club’s permanent infrastructure is uniquely suited for large music events, and inside the venue, we had everything we needed. Drainage systems beneath the turf kept the grounds in good shape even after the storm flooded streets across the valley.
Sidequest-ability: B-
Again inching closer to concert than festival on our sliding scale, music on the main stage was Head Trip’s dominant attraction. Devoid of many of the festival-official activities and corporate brand pop-ups that appear at Coachella each year, the experience rightfully placed the focus on the event’s once-in-a-lifetime lineup.
There were still a few opportunities to explore between the beats. Several of Coachella’s popular hidden speakeasies and lounges returned to the delight of those who know where to look. Loop Earplugs sold hearing protection and White Claw poured seltzers at a branded bar near the venue’s famous rainbow tower, SPECTRA, one of few permanent art installations within the venue limits. Across from the festival merch booth, which sold a wide selection of festival and artist-specific gear and remained open after music ended, the Ferris wheel offered another quintessential polo club experience.
And whether you classify Sunflower Sound System as a second stage or an off-lineup experience (the tent’s lineup was announced but its schedule kept secret), it only further served festivalgoers looking to explore something new away from the main event.
Food & Beverage: B+
Goldenvoice’s other festivals at the Empire Polo Club have also become renowned for their wide range of unique food and beverage offerings. Though stripped-back by comparison, Head Trip’s menu maintained that reputation.
Well known spots like Le Burger, Daves Hot Chicken, Prince St. Pizza featured on the festival’s curated vendor roster alongside tailored menu items such as Musibis from Randy’s Spammys, Coffee and Matcha from Café La Vecindad, gelato from Innamorata, and Korean BBQ tacos from Kogi. Other staple fare included tacos, chicken tenders, corn dogs, fries, sandwiches and wraps, as well as bulgogi bowls, sushi tacos, poke and wood fired pizza. Most menu items cost between $15 and $30.
With 11 full bar locations across the map and the venue’s famous Beer Barn pouring draughts, fans never had to go thirsty. Mixed drinks cost $18 for a single shot and $29 for doubles. Red Bull cocktails were sold for $24, while festival collectible and specialty cocktails were available for $27 ($37 double shot). Wine, beer and White Claw cost $15. Non-alcoholic beverages, such as Coke, Coke Zero, Sprite, Red Bull, Electrolit, canned coffee, and NA beer, were sold for less than $10 each.
Bottled water was readily available for $2, in addition to free fill-ups at 17 locations across the venue. Lines for food and at the bar never exceeded 15 minutes.
Overall: A-
In a seemingly unending calendar of festivals and shows, there are a few special events that make us step back and consider where we are in dance music history. Head Trip was one of those events.
As we danced to many of the sounds that shaped EDM’s mainstream arrival over a decade ago, surrounded by 90,000 fans of all ages, backgrounds, and experience levels, it became all the more clear that we’re experiencing another “golden era” of dance music right now.
Goldenvoice’s decision to get the proverbial band back together and celebrate dance music with a standalone concert of similar reverence to their iconizing of musicians like Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, and AC/DC (before hip-hop, country, or even pop) is a big deal.
With up to 90,000 fans on the ground in Indio, and hundreds of thousands tuning in to an official livestream on Apple Music to boot, Head Trip showed the world how far dance music has come in just the last decade, and a vouch like this from the team behind Coachella is a big bet on its staying power, as electronic music continues to find new fans as the fastest growing genre in the U.S., per Luminate’s 2026 Midyear report.
If Head Trip ever happens just once more, you can bet we’ll be there.
Find EDM Maniac‘s complete Festival Report Card archive here.
Featured image courtesy: Head Trip.