VELD celebrates its 5th year at Downsview Park
VELD returns to Downsview Park once again for the long weekend, and this year marks the 5th year anniversary of the festival. With a killer line up featuring DeadMau5, Martin Garrix, Kygo, The Chainsmokers, and more to name, the festival didn’t disappoint after last year’s cancellation of Day 2.
The first act we caught was none other than The Chainsmokers, who hit the stage for a second year in a row. The stage was packed with thousands of ravers all around the main stage. Right before anyone went on the stage, we heard Drew Taggart singing the verse of their new single “Closer” and fans were expressing their excitement with loud chants and applauses hoping the boys would open with the new tune. But instead, Drew and Alex Pall jumped on stage playing another track and all ravers started pumping their fists in the air. The boys then transitioned into one of my favorite songs “Until You Were Gone” and they pretty much had the whole crowd singing along. Drew’s stage presence is unlike any other, he was jumping all around the sound systems and came as close to audience as possible. The boys played remixes of “Me, Myself and I” “Love Lockdown” “Panda” “High” and “Mr.Brightside” . Their attitudes and stage presence maintained the crowd’s positive vibes. They also performed some their biggest hits such as “New York City” “Roses” “Kanye” and even a bit of “Selfie”. The boys continue to release hit song after hit song, they finally performed “Closer” with Drew singing his parts. Closing their set with “Don’t Let Me Down” this was definitely one of the best sets yet.
Next on the stage was Norwegian producer Kygo who literally “Stole the show” with his set. Opening with “Stole the Show” the beautiful melodies were complemented by purple, blue, and orange lights which gave people the feeling the smooth and calm feeling. He then played a remix of Ellie Goulding’s “Army “ and even a remix of Justin Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop the Feeling”. He even played his new track “Carry Me” and one of my favourite tracks “Oasis ft.Foxes.” Even though Foxes wasn’t live for the performance, her vocals mixed in with the harmonies truly made it a beautiful performance. The best part about Kygo’s set was that it’s different and not the typical jumping and shuffling. Rather people were enjoying the music and slowly moving their arms in the air. Closing his set with “Firestone” everyone in the audience was singing along so loud, it was hard to even hear the backtrack. Kygo always knows how to put on an amazing performance.
The final act of the night was Martin Garrix, who last played at VELD in 2014. Starting off his set with a piano version of “Animals” the anticipation was growing with each beat, then fists started pumping in the air and ravers were shuffling all around. Garrix performed a remix of “Panda” “One More Time” “Runaway” and “Waiting for Love”. He also performed his hit singles such as “Don’t Look Down” which got the crowd jumping and singing along. Closing his set with his newest single with Bebe Rexha “In the Name of Love” the crowd left the venue with smiles all around.
Overall, VELD continued to prove itself as a great event despite the weather incident last year. We can’t wait too see what VELD has in store next year!
Thank you INK Entertainment!
