Summer: a time when the days get longer, nights get shorter, clothing layers start coming off, and the festivals kick into full swing! As a long three-day Memorial Day weekend came around, what better way to kick off the unofficial start of the summer than with a few thousand of our closes friends in San Diego for the one and only My Life Every Day USA. LED brought along some of the biggest names the electronic music culture over the course of two days. Acts such as Flosstradamus, Tchami, Vicetone, Clockwork, and Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike entertained the eventful crowd on day one. While on day two such acts as Mercer, Caked Up, 3lau, Morgan Page, TJR, and Deorro unified the spectators for one of the most over the top productions we have seen at the Valley View Casino Center.
Walking into the venue the EDM Maniac team prepared ourselves for an assorted mix of trap, big-room, progressive, electro, and a bit of drum & bass from the acts on day one. One of the best was of course, Flosstradamus who added on to the night’s soundtrack with their own influential trap sound. Their collaborated hit with Casino in “Mosh Pit”, “Drop Top” featuring Travis Porter, and “Pillz” got the crowd jumping and swaying with every drop.
In a switch up of sounds, Tchami calmed the crowd down a bit with a mix of deep and lounge house, certainly a break from the constant drop after drop routine we had endured the first half of the night. Sampling his latest tune “Untrue” and his remix of the Martin Garrix/Jay Hardway banger “Wizard”, we enjoyed the “calm before the storm” because what was coming later in the night was nothing short of madness.
Vicetone jumped on the decks with no hesitation to get the crowd back up and energized. Incorporating crowd favorites such as Krewella’s “Enjoy the Ride”, One Republic & Alesso’s “If I Lose Myself”, and in a surprise twist Mat Zo & Porter Robinson’s “Easy”, Vicetone kicked off the energy level for the remainder of the night. Clockwork followed along the same sound path that Vicetone had initiated. Intermixing his remixes of Kaskade’s “Last Chance”, “Blitz”, and “Champion”, Clockwork’s electro house had everyone on their feet from the start of his set to the end; however the night was not over yet.
The moment that most had been waiting for had arrived: the Smash the House kings (known for their big room sound) had arrived: Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike. Starting off their set with the vocal version of “Ocarina” we heard the big room anthems that we have all come to love from “Mammoth”, “Project T”, to their latest collaboration with Martin Garrix “Tremor”. We will admit, a lot of the set sounded a bit too similar to the Tomorrowland/TomorrowWorld after movie soundtrack. Nonetheless Dimitri Vegas and Like Mike closed off LED USA day one in true Smash the House form: full of energy and madness.
With day one behind us were excited for day two. Day two had plenty more in store for the musically hungry crowd of San Diego. Mercer brought his modern electro and progressive house sound with remixed melodies such as “Safe and Sound”, the festival favorite “Show Me Love”, and the House of Pain classic “Jump Around”. We must mention that we did hear “Jump Around” and “Tremor” played about five different times throughout the night (even though they got the same reaction time after time) we would have wished it would not have been repeated set after set.
Caked Up continued the night, and Mercer played favored tracks such as “Revolution”, a trap remix of “Satisfaction”, and various other trap & electro mixes which warmed up the crowd for one of the most sought out acts of the night.
For the past year and a half, 3LAU has been gaining a following for his unique take on his original productions, remixes, and exclusive mixes. The EDM Maniac team has been anxiously waiting to hear him play a set and he did not disappoint. Starting off his set with an acoustic version of “Escape”, following it up with Tiesto’s remix to John Legend’s “All Of Me”, and his latest hit “How You Love Me” had the crowd singing along from start to finish. Truly was an experience to finally catch this young rising super star in his zone; however with Morgan Page accompanying after we were at a loss for words.
For those who have not had a chance to witness a Morgan Page set live, you are missing out! Morgan brought the emotions to LED USA during his sumptuous set consisting of his ballads such as “Against the World” featuring Michael S, “The Longest Road”, and a mash up of “Strange Condition” & “Mammoth”. Furthermore adding on with other tracks like Galantis’s “You (Tiesto vs. TwoLoud Mix)” and Showtek’s “We Like To Party”, Morgan Page was one of our personal favorites during day two.
Just when we though we had enough, out came TJR! The man who we can always count on for a good time got straight to work wasting no time on vibing from Morgan Page’s set. Incorporating hits such as Dada Life’s “Kick Out the Epic”, his success “Ode To Oi”, “Booyah” and scratching his way through Sean Paul’s “Get Busy”; TJR took a toll on everyone and the crowd loved it, even during his last song asking for more.
Deorro closed off the night and two-day event in true Deorro fashion. Mixing his trap, progressive, and electro sound into a set that can sum up this year’s My Life Every Day USA into one hour. His set list formulated with songs such as “Dechorro”, “Five Hours”, “Booty in Your Face”, and his collaboration with R3hab in “Flashlight” burned everyone out (or what was left of us). We would not have had it any other way.
As always a huge thank you to LED, the team to helped make this year’s event possible, and all the artists. The event kicked off without a hitch due to everyone who came together to enjoy the event. LED really outdid themselves this time around, not just with a well thought-out lineup but also the production value that included lighting panels surrounding the dance floor from front to all the way back. San Diego is one of our favorite cities and it’s all thanks to the welcoming crowd that we can always count on for an amazing time full of energy and good vibes, and we look forward to returning.
Also, LED just announced TRAMPS LIKE US happening Labor Day weekend in San Diego! If you’re looking for another epic LED party… be there!
-Eddy Leon, Staff Writer
