UMF2012 MIAMI: Best $300 I've Ever Spent

Downtown Miami sunset

ULTRA Music Festival 2012 Miami, FL Recap

Waiting in line!

March 23-25, 2012- Bay Front Park, Downtown Miami.  It was a typical Friday afternoon at work, listening to the Office Ravers podcast itching to get out. The view through the window of the bright blue, not-a-cloud-in-the-sky type of day looked way more appealing than a computer screen. I got a message on Google Chat from my meatball Steph saying, “Jess, we gotta go to ULTRA.” I was immediately so thrilled and pumped. We had just seen Calvin Harris the night before for WMC and there was no way I could not attend friggen ULTRA yet again. We had one problem- it was SOLD OUT. Tickets always sell out months before the festival. Immediately, Steph and I got on Craigslist and contacted as many people as we could. There was no way in hell we were not going to ULTRA. Finally, Steph found this guy on Craigslist with extra tickets. Right at 4:45, we were out and went home to change and go pick up the tickets. We planned to meet the guy at a random gas station near a Marshalls. We were nervous at first, but the guy actually turned out to be really nice. We finally had the tickets in our hands and we were ready to destroy ULTRA. With our red bulls and sour patch and Skrillex blaring, we raged the whole way there.  We got to Downtown, parked, met up with our friend Jonathan from the job and his friends, and started heading to the line. Of course the line was packed and four miles long. The amount of people was unreal and there was so much diversity. People travelled fromall around the world for this and once again we were a part of history. The line was finally approaching and we were about to be inside UMF2012. 

Skrillex

My adrenaline was pumping.People were EVERYWHERE, so many stages to choose from, and so much fucking  good ass music in one place, I didn’t even know where to start. The crowds were insane and the amount of people was overwhelming. The sun was going down and the tall buildings of Downtown surrounded us all around. The vibe was like nothing I had experienced before. I felt like I was finally home. Everyone there was extremely passionate about the music. We headed to Main Stage and Afrojack was performing with Lil’Jon. It was sick. Then we headed over the Carl Cox and Friends cacoon. Now that was intense and yet again nothing like I have been to before. Everyone was raging and having a bomb time. On the way to Carl Cox, we stopped and raged to Dirty South. The stage was packed and there was no room to move, but that’s what made the experience even better. It was finally dark, so I headed back to Main Stage because I knew the light show was going to be out of this world. Let me tell you, it was. Skrillex totally surpassed my expectations and Tiesto went in like there was no tomorrow. The crowd was HUGE, people dancing everywhere like the world was coming to an end. It was great. Day one of ULTRA totally gave me a new perspective on life. 
    

Avicii

Day two was incredible as well. It seemed even more packed than Friday. We saw Ducksauce, Carl Cox, Justice, and Avicii. Ducksauce was crazy. I vividly remember the duck bobbing around and when he dropped “Big Bad Wolf.” Everyone went nuts. Avicii’s set was sickk. The crowd was enormous. Madonna was performing with him. The light show and fireworks completely blew my mind. The crowd went nuts. I felt like it should have been on the news.                                       

Steve Aoki

Day 3 was, yet again, the time of my life. It was a total rage fest. The freaks were all out with their rage faces glued on. Steve Aoki, Knife Party, Cazette, Bingo Players, Fedde Le Grand, and Kaskade; could not get much better than that. The way Aoki gets his crowds pumped is unbelievable. I’ve seen him a few times and everyone is just so amped to be there. From crowd surfing on rafts, popping bottles, throwing cakes, Aoki has everyone going bananas. Knife Party was pure insanity. Their filthy, dirty bass got the crowd jumping like crazy. I couldn’t even old my phone out to take pics and vids. Kaskade was my favorite set.  His sound is so different. The vocals are so serene and calm while his beat is carefree and uplifting. His music makes me feel like I’m soaring through the stars in outer space. The stage lights illuminated perfectly with his beat. He’s from the homeland so I always make sure to support :) The sun was setting as his set was just beginning. I felt like I was in a dream; Kaskade never fails to disappoint. 
         

Bingo Players

After three days of hardcore raging in the sun, I was exhausted, but bummed that it was all over. It was the absolute time of my life. Whenever a person asks me about ULTRA, I say that it was the best $300 that I have ever spent and that I feel bad for people who do not get to experience it. The only thing I would do differently is get a hotel for the weekend because it’s way more convenient to go out to the clubs after. The next day Steph and I booked our tickets for EDC Vegas to help cure our ULTRA withdrawals. (Which I currently still have) There is no way in hell that I will not be coming back. My world was totally rocked, see you next year UMF.

                                                Rage on, JD.