Panorama Music Festival 2017

Hello . . . it’s me. I’ve been a bit awol at the moment but it’s time for my Panorama Music Festival 2017 recap! I’ll take a moment to get into exactly what’s been going on but I’ll save that for another day. For now, let’s hash out my experience at Panorama in July and get down to all the details you really want to know about.

Should you save your cash now and buy tickets for next year? Was this year’s lineup worth the hype? All will be answered in just a few short scrolls. First up, let’s get into the basics! Panorama takes place on Randall’s Island in NYC. It’s helmed by Goldenvoice that’s also responsible for Coachella, Firefly, Hangout Music Festival and more. Last year marked Panorama’s debut event and this year built on the hype and buzz from the last.

Overall, I enjoyed my time at Panorama Music Festival 2017 and would probably go again. Was it better than some of the other NYC music festivals that I’ve been to? Yes and no. Governor’s Ball still has my heart. The lineup is always stacked and the familiarity I have with the festival set up and vibe gives it the edge. Mad Decent, Global Citizen, and Afropunk are kind of their own separate thing so I can’t really compare those. Still, Panorama does have tech elements that stand out among the rest.

Still, Panorama does have tech elements that stand out among the rest. The Point, The HP Lounge, and The Lab are all features that I haven’t experienced at other events. The former is an open air dance club with a continuous LED light show. HP’s Lounge is an immersive art and technological experience where concertgoers can create their own custom scarves, create a laser light show, take 120 degree light painting photos and manipulate virtual reality while dancing.

Want to hear more? Scroll down to get the Panorama Music Festival 2017 recap and then listen to the designated festival playlist on Spotify!

The Lineup

Panorama is a 3-day music event from Friday-Sunday. I attended Friday’s showing instead of the full 3 days since I wasn’t comfortable booking the entire 3 days without having gone before. Friday’s lineup included Frank Ocean, Solange, MØ, Tyler the Creator, MGMT, Future Islands, Girl Talk, THEY., Spoon, 24HRS and more.

Other acts that I would have loved seeing are Bishop Briggs, Tame Impala, Matoma, Alt-J, Glass Animals, Justice, A Tribe Called Quest, Snakehips, Mura Masa, Kiiara, and 6lack. There is more where that came from but those are the main musical acts that caught my eye.

Another point I want to quickly touch on is that Frank Ocean was probably one of the most highly anticipated performers at the Panorama Music Festival 2017. I really like quite a lot of his music and I had very high expectations. Still, I felt very meh about the whole thing. My reaction wasn’t enough to write him off completely or to label his set a dud but it wasn’t a highlight for me either. Maybe because it was the end of a long day but I don’t know I ended up leaving a little early. Regardless, his shirt won the night for me!

Past Features

15 Must See Acts at Panorama 2017 || 10 Must See Acts at Panorama 2016

Highs:

Solange. I could just end it right there and then but let’s just say that if you have the opportunity to see her I suggest you run, don’t walk, toward your credit card and the box office. I enjoyed everything from the use of color during the set to the seamless choreography to her hair and everything in between.

MØ is always a pleasure! This marked the 5th time that I saw her perform and it’s actually completely accidental. I’m a fan of her music but I’ve only actually paid to see her in particular once. All of the other times were due to the fact that she showed up for surprise duets at Mad Decent Block Party and Global Citizen Festival or because she was on the bill for other events.

The AMEX card member perks! I was able to get a free food/drink voucher, cash back options, and access to elevated viewing for the main stage. There were other perks for card members but those were the ones that were available to me.

The bathrooms! There were actual bathrooms in real stalls. There were plenty of porta potties too but the fact that there were actual bathrooms really goes a long way. Trust me, if you’ve ever attempted to survive a festival you know how much of a godsend that is.

Lows:

The Parlor Stage was probably the absolute worst part of my experience. When I go to a music festival I expect to see a plethora of bands outdoors. I’m fully aware of the fact that I may not always be front row but I expect to have the opportunity to see the lineup. Unfortunately, the Parlor Stage was an enclosed stage and I was unable to see one of the bands (THEY.) that I was the most excited to see. Not to mention the fact that this stage collapsed at one point!

Fun Bits:

The HP Lab was a fun experience yet I was expecting a bit more. Still, the virtual reality theater was a really cool aspect that was unlike anything else I’ve done at a festival. This was a moment that really separated Panorama Music Festival 2017 from the pack! The Lab also featured interactive digital art installations that were seemingly tailor-made for Instagram.

MGMT was a great throwback moment! The band has released more music since those early days when I first saw them at McCarren Pool in Brooklyn. Still, I’ll always associate them with their earlier work and the memories I have attached to it.

Girl Talk is another throwback act for me that brought a smile to my face. I can’t think about my college days without thinking about Girl Talk. I saw him perform at Cornell once before this and ohhh how times have changed! He was still great but as I listened to it and got all nostalgic I couldn’t help but realize how much I’ve grown since then.