Latest news with #ElectricDaisyCarnival
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
7 Things We Learned From Talking to EDC Las Vegas 2025 Performers
Every year, over half a million music fans flock to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway for three nights to dance under neon lights to tunes spanning almost every imaginable dance music subgenre. While Electric Daisy Carnival just wrapped its 29th year, it somehow still finds ways to reinvent itself and grow — not just grow in crowd size, but in cultural and physical reach. Just before opening the gates to the festival on May 16, the event's producer Insomniac invited select guests to Hotel EDC at the Virgin Hotel to celebrate their latest international expansion. Partygoers celebrated with Gorgon City to highlight Insomniac's next international destination, Medellín, where EDC Colombia will launch in October 2026. More from Billboard Roger Nichols, Grammy-Nominated Co-Writer of 'We've Only Just Begun,' Dies at 84 Julión Álvarez Postpones Stadium Show in Texas After Not Being Able to Enter the U.S. Jamie Foxx Shuts Down Conspiracy Theory That Diddy Tried to Kill Him Inside the festival, we saw more representation on the lineup via the Ubutu stage, which created a dedicated space for Afro-house for the first time in the festival's 29-year run. This year the fest also added a dinner theater activation where guests were treated to a cocktail hour with an acrobatic showcase, followed by dinner featuring a dance troupe and ending with dessert and live singing. With the festival approaching its 30th year, Billboard spoke to a handful of DJs, from legendary headliners to this year's first-timers, to hear from their perspective on how EDC continues to grow and how they personally make each year better than the last. Here are seven takeaways from their words of wisdom. Tiësto is without a doubt one of the biggest names in dance music. He's played EDC every year since the festival moved from California to Las Vegas in 2011. You would think he's turned every possible stone the fest has to offer, but this year, the legend was excited to play Circuit Grounds, a fan-favorite stage, for the first time. Circuit Grounds offers more screens to visually bring the audience into new and unexpected tracks like Tiësto's upcoming collaboration with Sexyy Red on the F1 soundtrack, 'OMG!' Backstage the artist rhetorically asked us 'Who would have thought Tiësto would have collabed with Sexyy Red?… No one. Absolutely no one. And it's an amazing track.' Also bringing the unexpected this year was EDM titan Kaskade. He brought his b2b act with Alison Wonderland to the Cosmic Meadow stage after the artists debuted as a duo at EDC Orlando last year. This time around, they expanded their sound to include some of Wonderland's signature trap tunes. 'For me, it's just about playing stuff we love and trying to figure out that bridge in between,' Kaskade told us. 'We've only played a handful of shows so we're still discovering that as we play out more together.' When you've played EDC for as long as Tiësto and Kaskade, who's performed at the festival for two decades, you have to continue making changes to your solo sets. Tiësto reserved a special set for the mainstage, closing out the three-day festival with a set that saw a return to his trance roots. Rising German producer Marlon Hoffstadt introduced 'The Godfather of Trance' before his In Search of Sunrise Set, named after his legendary 1999 compilation album. Tiësto told us the time was finally right for such a moment, saying 'I reconnected with the sound I started with back in the day, and I feel like it's a full circle moment. When [Insomniac Events founder] Pasquale [Rotella] asked me 'Will you do a sunrise set?' and I thought 'Yeah, the time is right now.'' For Kaskade, his solo set was sprinkled with pieces of his decades-old hits. Many DJs' styles evolve over time, and Kaskade says he still struggles trying to resurface his former fan-favorites but admits, 'People online will like this. There's sometimes when there's somebody hitting me up like 'You haven't played this song in 10 years!' and I'm like 'Oh yeah. That is a good song. I should remember to bring that out.'' So, if you're waiting for more tracks from his 2008 album Strobelite Seduction to make it into his next set, like us, keep posting. The electric sky still shines just as bright, if not brighter, almost 30 years later. Alison Wonderland is still amazed at the impact that EDC has had on her and her friends after playing the festival 10 years later. She reflected on her first time playing at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway and crying, telling the audience 'I started in my bedroom and now I'm here.' A decade later, she's still humbled by her EDC experience saying that she can't believe she is sharing the stage with Kaskade. But there's nothing that could prevent her from taking the stage at the Electric Daisy Carnival. 'In fact, I actually love EDC so much that at 9 months pregnant I played main stage,' she said of this set that happened in 2023. With over 500,000 people attending the festival every year, it's the perfect opportunity for an artist to not only reach their fans but also expose themselves to a group of people who have potentially never heard their sound. Just ask Ben Nicky. We caught up with the British producer 10 minutes after his first set at Kinetic Field on Saturday night before he made his way to Neon Garden for a b2b set with Maddix. Walking into his trailer, he was already on his computer working on a track because he's aware of how every set offers its own opportunities. 'I'm like a DJ's DJ,' he said. 'I'm always changing something. Mainstage you've got your big fanbase there, but you've got another fifty to sixty thousand people who might not know you or be more into commercial stuff. So, you have to tailor and play more well-known vocals. Whereas in the trance tent, I can get away with more dark and underground stuff.' Ben meticulously tweaks every element to fit the crowd he's trying to appeal to, and the crowd at EDC is some of the most knowledgeable when it comes to dance music. Brazilian star Alok told Billboard that means you can't phone it in. 'I feel like people here each year are more and more educated,' he said, 'so, it's not easy to please them. So you really have to bring stuff that makes sense and not obvious.' He knows a thing or two about keeping an audience on their toes. He just had a buzzed-about Coachella performance, for which he hired dancers with two-tone arms to create eye-catching live visuals. While some DJs meticulously plan their sets, others prefer to 'just rip it' in the words of Tape B. He started playing EDC in Orlando while doing his undergrad in Florida. Now that he's worked his way up to EDC Las Vegas, he attended a programming meeting for the first time ahead of his solo set on Friday. When it came to his joint set with dubstep super DJ, Crankdat, they planned to start their set with their unreleased collab but keep it loose otherwise. He told Billboard about the planning that went into the set saying, 'Met up with Crankdat. Worked on our back-to-back for a little bit. Got songs kinda together. We're mainly freestyling it tonight. So, it's going to be very interesting, but very fun.' One of the most exciting aspects of attending EDC Las Vegas is the massive amount of unreleased music you'll hear. REZZ said she was most excited to give fans a taste of what direction she's taking her project next. 'I'm super excited for this year. I'm playing like, seven new songs, more than half of which I've never played before.' Check TikTok to see fans' live reactions to some of this new music. It's become customary for DJs to head to Las Vegas with a ton of unreleased music. Riot Ten used it as a chance to treat his most dedicated fans to an early listen of his new album, Requiem For a Riot, before it drops in a week. Other artists may opt to test out some tracks they're workshopping to see how the crowd reacts, like DJ Snake who played his upcoming song 'Paradise' for the audience at AYU dayclub, not once, but twice, to make sure it went off every time. With this year's addition of the Ubutu stage, Afro-house had a major presence at the festival for the first time. Francis Mercier noted that EDC is 'the home to different types of music from hip-hop to dubstep to house to now Afro house. It's a place where you can hear all different types of music.' This new stage opened the door for artists like Karaba, who hails from Montreal, Canada, to play a stage at EDC Las Vegas for the first time. Making the most of these opportunities is key, according to Morten. His first time playing the fest was in 2016 when he thought no one would see him spinning at one of the art cars. When he took the stage he was surprised by the energy. 'It doesn't matter what stage you're at, the party and the crowd is incredible.' Since then, he's played solo sets, b2b with David Guetta and this year played Kinetic Field with Artbat. If you really want to see how quickly you can ascend to greatness, you just have to look at Cloonee's trajectory. He admitted that EDC wasn't really a festival you thought about as someone who grew up in England. After living in the States for a few months, he found himself nervously playing the Stereo Bloom festival back in 2022. This year he played Circuit Grounds right after Tiësto,z who said he wasn't going to play Cloonee's hit song 'Stephanie' with InntRaw and Young M.A because it would be this year's most played song and you don't play the most played song before its creator takes the stage. Meanwhile, the advice Cloonee would give himself before playing Stereo Bloom in 2022 is, 'Calm down because you've got bigger ones to do.' Catch more of Billboard's EDC Las Vegas coverage on Billboard's Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube Channels. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
Daily Mail
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
The Price Is Right host Drew Carey makes shocking claim about the show
Drew Carey has had a great career in stand up, television and as host of The Price is Right. One of the secrets to his success is unusual as he revealed before the release of the 30th anniversary edition DVD set of The Drew Carey Show. 'Not a lot of my fans know [that] I don't like watching myself on TV. I have a real hard time,' Drew, 67, told Parade. 'I've sat in the editing room a few times on The Drew Carey Show, and I had to leave. 'I don't do it that often because every time I saw it, I was like, "That's what I look like? And that's [how] I walk?" I get so tired of seeing myself,' he said. He went on to note that one of the producers had some suggestions for his performance on the long running game show. 'I was like, "Oh my God." He was like, "I know, I apologize." And he really had to twist my arm to make me watch myself, even on The Price Is Right,' he continued. 'So I've always been like this. I don't watch The Price Is Right. I don't watch The Drew Carey Show. 'Once in a while, I'll put it on [to] just like see a minute of it, or Whose Line [Is It Anyway?].' Earlier this week, Drew was spotted having a good time at the Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas, Nevada. Drew had his arms his arms around a mystery blonde as they beamed and took photographs together surrounded by revelers in the wee hours. 'Many people were shocked to see Drew in the crowd, especially considering his age, but he was the life and soul of the event,' the US Sun reported. 'He seemed to be having the best time, dancing and laughing with a group of friends all night. 'Plenty of women were going up to him and flirting, he appeared to enjoy the attention and was very friendly.' He was also seen last month with OnlyFans creator Niki Skyler in West Hollywood, California. The lunch excursion came just two months after Drew shared that he is still not dating after his former fiancée Amie Harwick was murdered in 2020 by ex-boyfriend Gareth Pursehouse. Pursehouse had pled not guilty but in 2023 he was convicted of her murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole. Carey and Harwick became engaged in 2018 but called it quits later that same year. During an interview with Us Weekly in February, the TV personality got candid about her tragic death and admitted to the outlet, 'It destroyed me for a while. I still don't date. 'I have women I go out with and spend time with, but it's all platonic, and I don't care about anything else. Amie's death really affected everything.' He also expressed, 'I think about her every day. It's such a loss. Her death still affects me and my ideas about relationships and intimacy. 'It was all damaged by first our breakup, and then, the day before she died, when she texted me. It had been a really bad breakup for both of us, but a necessary one. I couldn't think about her or see a picture of her.' The day before her passing, Carey recalled receiving a message from Amie who brought up the topic of forgiveness and asked to meet up. 'I texted her that I loved her and that I'd see her the next week,' the TV host said. 'I heard from one of her friends that she shed tears about my saying that I loved her still. Which I did. I loved her madly even though we had broken up.' When her murderer was sentenced to life in prison, Carey opened up to People about finally having closure. 'I can barely remember the guy's name — that's how much I've put him out of my life — but ever since the final sentencing, it feels like we've all let out a breath and are able to finally move on.' He continued, 'The whole process is over now, and there's nothing else to be done and nothing else to worry about. … Just speaking just for myself, it's been quite a load off.' Drew also shared that following her passing, he still has photos of Harwick inside of his house. 'She's with me always. A lot of times I'll feel like I'll be thinking things through, and it's almost like I can hear her voice saying, "Well, really, it's because of this and that." It's really nice, honestly.'
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Yahoo
Las Vegas police investigate 2 separate EDC-related deaths
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Police said they are 'reviewing' two separate deaths of people who were in Las Vegas to attend EDC. According to police, one person had a medical episode at the Electric Daisy Carnival, which took place over the weekend at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. That person, later identified as Opkar Mahal, 39 of North Las Vegas, was taken to a local hospital, where hospital staff later pronounced him dead. Another person, identified as Azmi Atassi, 33 of Flagstaff, Arizona, was found dead in a Las Vegas Strip hotel room. Police believe Atassi was in the city to attend EDC. The cause and manner of death for both men were listed as pending by the Clark County coroner's office. According to police, after discussions with the coroner's office, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department will be reviewing both deaths. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
EDC traffic clogs up I-15, 215 and Las Vegas Boulevard
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — The weekend Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) ended Monday morning, and it's causing major traffic delays for commuters. Thousands of people attend the EDC every year at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and when the dance parties end, the carnival-goers head home, creating major traffic delays. The heaviest traffic is on I-15 southbound. As of 6:40 a.m., the traffic was backed up to Craig Road. Also impacted are the westbound lanes of the 215 Northern Beltway heading into Centennial Bowl and Las Vegas Boulevard. Motorists might want to find an alternate route or expect a longer Monday morning commute. Nevada State Police said around 185,000 people attended each night of this year's EDC. Around 150 state and local police officers work the event. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
How Nevada State police keep traffic flowing at EDC
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — The Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) is one of the Las Vegas valley's biggest and brightest events. Every year law enforcement works together to keep the fun going as safely and smoothly as possible. Nevada State Police Highway Patrol (NHP) gave 8 News Now a behind-the-scenes look at traffic enforcement. NHP expects 185,000 people each night at this year's EDC. 'This event is so large, that it is all hands on deck,' Nevada State Police Trooper Ashlee Wellman said. 'We treat it just like, as if it was like New Year's Eve. It is mandatory for all our officers.' Each night of the festival is comprised of three shifts, each of which are around 11 hours. Each day, the Las Vegas Motor Speedway sees around 150 troopers and officers. 'We work together with one mission and one goal, and that's to get everybody here to have a good time safely and get them back home safely, and it just gets better and better every year,' Wellman said. Regarding traffic safety, Wellman said one of the most common causes of traffic jams is people stopping and asking for directions, leading to almost everyone behind the lost driver slowing down or stopping entirely. Sometimes, it's not even a driver that interrupts the flow — it's people walking. 'You cannot walk on the side of the highway,' Wellman said. 'You're generating a call for service, which takes us from our post, or we have to pull someone from town to then get to you. It's a whole thing where we're trying to get everyone in and quickly, and it's yeah, it's a whole domino effect.' When the festival ends in the morning, troopers make sure departing traffic can get home safely. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
