CRSSD’s waterfront weekend

Recounting all the highlights from another edition of the jam-packed CRSSD Festival

Lizzy Jennings / A&C Editor / The USD Vista

This past weekend was the fall edition of San Diego’s popular CRSSD music festival, and it certainly did not disappoint. The 21+ house and techno festival brought good vibes and great music to crowds of fun-loving fans looking to have a good time at the beautiful waterfront venue. From three distinct stages and popular headliners like Fisher and Portugal. the Man, follow along as The USD Vista breaks down the CRSSD Fall 2019 experience. 

Saturday

Though Saturday’s lineup was noticeably less stacked with popular artists than Sunday’s lineup, the day still brought the best of what CRSSD had to offer. Logistically, access to the festival was a breeze, as the venue did a great job of managing crowds and ensuring that lines for security and entry were never excessively long. In fact, that was a theme of the weekend, as festivalgoers were always able to purchase food and drinks without having to wait in massive lines. 

“I like how the CRSSD festival grounds aren’t overcrowded like Coachella, and the 21+ aspect means that the crowd is more cohesive,” senior Bri Larkin said, who considers herself a big fan of both house music and music festivals. 

The day started with the bouncy tones of DJ Micheal Bibi playing at the City Step Stage. Crowds hadn’t fully formed yet as the festival was gradually getting more and more crowded, so Bibi’s set was more like a dance party amongst friends rather than a crowd at an electronic dance music festival. The fashion at CRSSD was noteworthy, as many of the festivalgoers were clearly big fans of the style of music and looked the part. 

“The vibes are cool and the culture is funky,” senior Nicole Bridgeman said, who was attending her second CRSSD festival. “Wear what you want, no one judges because we are all here for a good time.” 

Fans waved parasols and blown up dolphins in the air, and glitter was abundant. It was nearly impossible to not be happy as the crowd grooved to Bibi’s music in front of San Diego City Hall. 

The next notable performance of the day was Yung Bae, playing at The Palms Stage. The Palms Stage was appropriately decorated with flowing cloth covered in images of palm leaves in various shades of green, and the lighting of the stage alternated between white and green lights, making the atmosphere appear as though the crowds had entered a tropical realm. Yung Bae’s vibe is especially groovy, and he, like Bibi, had the crowd dancing through his entire set. As a performer he was noticeably engaging, constantly getting his crowds involved by having them shout out riffs or bounce their hands to the beat. 

The day carried on with performances from Green Velvet, SG Lewis and Polo & Pan as crowds thickened. Green Velvet dominated the City Steps Stage while Polo & Pan gave an awe-inspiring set at the Ocean View stage. This stage was the largest, and lived up to its name with impressive views of the water that make this festival so distinctive. Polo & Pan was captivating, drawing crowds in with their mystical sound and French accents. The duo has been described as enchanting and this description holds true; the vibing sounds had the whole crowd swaying along to the magical beats as the sun set on Saturday. 

Hot Chip and yaeji brought the energy back up with their bouncing sets that held true to the house and techno vibes. The New York artist yaeji brought breathy tones and a beating bassline while Hot Chip emphasized their eclectic songwriting and quirky taste in their set. The two acts concluded the night, and as festivalgoers poured out onto the streets of Little Italy, the excitement and anticipation for the next day was already pulsing through the crowd. 

SUNDAY

 Even though it was a Sunday afternoon, you wouldn’t have been able to tell from the lively CRSSD crowds who were streaming back into the venue for their second day of music. Even from the outside of the venue fans could hear the pounding bass of sets already going on, keeping everyone excited even as they waited in line for festival entry. The day truly kicked off with Masego on the Ocean View stage, whose distinctive, jazzy sound, was different from some of the other more strictly house sets. Crowds hadn’t fully formed in the venue yet, so his set was characterized by the laid-back feel of the crowd, who vibed along to his music while laying on the crowd or bouncing around with their friends. One of the most impressive aspects of Masego’s sets was his live saxophone playing, which blew away crowds more used to strictly DJ-style performances. 

Then the day carried on, with The Palm Stage’s stacked lineup. Anna Luneo went on, giving the crowds an ethereal performance. It was exciting to see a female DJ, especially because her performance held up well against her male peers. Her set gave way to Kyle Watson’s, who was a must see for many of the USD festivalgoers. Walker and Royce followed with another impressive set, though they ended up not playing many of their hit songs like “Take Me To Your Leader” and “My Own Thang,” which disappointed fans. Instead, the duo they played their new music from their recently dropped “Rave Grave” EP,  which was just released this September. The Palm Stage rounded out their impressive day with DJ MK, who is known for his European-influenced dance music. His set made the stage feel like a European dance club, and kept the crowds engaged even after long days of dancing.

At the same time as MK was making the SoCal festival feel like Europe, Kaskade was playing their redux set on the Ocean View Stage. Because Kaskade has been DJing since 2000, his music catalogue is filled with hits that he can’t play at every set; this is the purpose of a redux set. He is aiming to return to his roots by focusing on the sounds that made him popular all those years ago.  

“I have been looking forward to Kaskade’s set for a while because he is one of my favorite artists, and I knew he wouldn’t disappoint,” senior Vanessa Grasso said of her thoughts on Kaskade reminding fans of his old sound. 

“He was  absolutely my favorite artist who played this weekend.”  

The festival concluded with the two biggest headliners of the weekend playing thirty minutes apart. Fisher took over The Palm Stage and the crowd was packed. Everyone was dying to see his hit songs like “Losing It” and “Stop It,” but the rest of his set wowed the crowd as well. Portugal. the Man took over the Ocean View Stage with some of the most impressive theatrics of the entire weekend. Lights strobed in the sky and smoke poured out of the stage as the band gave festival goers an impressive conclusion to another successful CRSSD weekend.