Air + Style: Music Festival Recap
By Terry Nguyen ‘20
What originated as a snowboarding competition 21 years ago in Innsbruck, Austria has grown to be a global event that merges the latest music and the sport into an unforgettable two-day experience. From Feb. 18 to Feb. 19, Air + Style brought the world’s best snowboarders to downtown Los Angeles’ Exposition Park and rising artists, like Grammy-award winning DJ Flume and USC alumnus ZHU.
Despite rain or shine, the festival went on for both days from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m., and crowds gathered enthusiastically between the Winter and Summer stages throughout the course of the afternoon into late evening. Their energy did not quell between the sets, as hundreds of people bunched towards the front of the stage, anxiously awaiting their favorite artists.
On Saturday, the crowd pleaser was evidently Flume, the Australian Grammy-winning DJ and producer. Nevertheless, there were many great acts that preceded him, like Chromeo, St. Lucia, Vic Mensa and Vince Staples. At the Winter stage, Vic Mensa wow-ed the crowd in his thirty minute performance, teasing the audience with his hit “U Mad” and preaching his stance on police brutality through “16 Shots.” His energetic performance elicited a smoke-filled fervor among the audience, and many were eagerly expecting him to perform with Flume later on in the night.
Although Flume played hours after Vic Mensa, anticipation ran high throughout the other sets of the night. The DJ allowed himself a suspenseful entrance with beaming lights and heavy beats; he beamed to the roaring crowd during his entrance, clad simply in a long-sleeve white t-shirt. Best known for his single “Never Be Like You,” Flume saved his best songs for last during the set that entranced the audience.
Sunday’s line-up was filled with more well-known names, such as Louis the Child, YG, ZHU and Major Lazer. Louis the Child is a Chicago-based electronic music duo whose two members are in their late teens. Member Robby Hauldren had attended USC as a freshman for a short while, before preparing to go on tour. The duo performed at the Winter stage at 7 p.m., and the chill, funky beats from their singles “Weekend” and “It’s Strange” allowed for the audience to let loose.
Following the duo is YG, a Los Angeles-based rapper known for his explicit lyrics but catchy beats. The crowd roared as he took the stage — lights beaming red to symbolically represent his latest album Red Friday. The energy from his performance heightened the atmosphere, as the snowboarding competition neared its final run as the stakes became measurably higher for the athletes.
Although many clamored near the Summer stage where YG performed awaiting Major Lazer, a notable USC alumnus and electronic music sensation ZHU took the Winter stage with his beats. Steven Zhu, known by his stage name ZHU, graduated from USC Thornton School of Music in 2014 and has come full circle — performing at Shrine Auditorium last October and now at Exposition Park.
The last set of the night, however, was rainy but filled with ecstatic energy and excitement. Water lightly sprinkled on the masses of people who jumped to the music’s command. Major Lazer’s set lasted longer than an hour; despite the rain, the group’s enthusiasm and the crowd’s spirit did not disappoint. The last night of the festival ended later than the first, but with hits like “Believer,” “Light It Up” and “Lean On,” the crowd simply couldn’t get enough of Major Lazer.
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