Bassnectar headlines. Credit: Judy Won Photography

Call Prime Social Group the little promoter that could. The Madison, WI turned Columbus, OH based promoter began just a couple of short years ago, founded by UW-Madison alumnus Zach Ruben. Now, the team of 14 aspires to get in the festival biz. The EDM centric (but surprisingly diverse) Breakaway Festival celebrated its inaugural run at Crew Stadium, with a modest crowd of around 8,000.

After some media credential red tape, IATU was ready to start its day. We noted the layout – a large main stage, a side tent, and a small stage in the front plaza for local bands. We opted to position ourselves at the mainstage, just in time for Robert DeLong, the EDM influenced one-man band that prefers to leave behind the laptop and turntables and manipulate a joystick, a Nintendo Wii-mote, and play a drum kit. Highlights included his hit “Global Concepts” and “Basically, I.” Keep an eye out for DeLong as he tours as direct support for twenty one pilots this fall.

Tokyo Police Club served up some mellower indie rock to be somewhat of a backdrop as people continued to arrive at the stadium. While the band would have done great in a headlining slot in a midsize concert hall, I couldn’t help but sense that this band was a bit out of place at this festival. I still found them enjoyable though, communicating vibes perfect for the end of summer.

I’d continue in chronological order but my detours to the side stages become somewhat of a blur at this point. And no! This  bad memory isn’t due to any encounters with mind altering drugs (hard to say whether I completely escaped a secondhand high from the weed, but I’d venture I succeeded in avoiding this). So here are some thoughts on some of the artists I heard in passing on side stages. Post Coma Network, a Columbus band I’ve been meaning to see live forever sounded great – there was decidedly more “oomph” to their music than I gathered from listening to their alternative pop on bandcamp. Fellow Columbusites EOP absolutely killed it on that same stage later in the day, with their blend of funk, hip hop and rock. They were competing with Porter Robinson, who was dropping some dirty EDM on the main stage but EOP was clearly the better choice. Indie pop group Alpine, an Australian group currently supporting Empire of the Sun closed out the stage with sunny tunes that were heavy on the harmonies but light on discernible lyrics…maybe it was the sound mix, or the random conversation with a guy about when he was gonna smoke his last blunt. Who knows! I can certainly see why our friends in Kid Runner are fans of Alpine, though.

Twenty One Pilots played a mid afternoon set on the main stage – and it was a bit weird. While there were still legions of doting fans screaming the words from “Ode to Sleep” to “Guns For Hands,” around half the people in attendance obviously didn’t care. One guy went so far as to heckle the duo when they expressed their gratitude for how they’ve come – “Stop lying!  …F*ck you!” Sure dude, stick to your bass drops and thinking you’re badass for popping the one molly you’ll take all year. Nevermind the high energy, backflipping, in tune and on point awesomeness taking place behind you. I’ve reviewed 21P a multitude of times on here before so not much else needs to be said about their performance.

Kendrick Lamar dropped plenty of nasty beats in the form of hip hop and his band was good but I found it hard to take him seriously. I had the impression that he was one of the more looked up to artists in the hip hop scene today, one that has substance, and the gist of one of his songs was “I’m Kendrick Lamar… you know you want this d*ck!” The beats were SICK though. I won’t deny that. Maybe I defaulted to letting his raps go in one ear and out the other too quickly. Feel free to flame this opinion in the comments, haha. Actually, some of his other songs did ring genuine and honest – it’s just his method of communicating his honesty that I don’t quite get.

The antithesis to Kendrick Lamar emerged shortly after 8 PM in the form of arena-rock-from-the-future collective Empire of the Sun. This band is meant to be experienced live. The intro “Lux” flowed seamlessly into “Old Flavours.” Other tracks, such as “Ice on the Dune” and “We Are the People” sounded absolutely huge. The visuals, coupled with the music transported me to some dreamworld, no hallucinogenic drugs necessary. It is really amazing what three musicians and a quartet of backup dancers navigating Gaga-esque costume changes (minus the risqué factor) can accomplish. I would pay the festival price to see a two hour set from them alone.

Bassnectar ended the night with a surprisingly fun set. Now, I’ve always liked music of the EDM variety but have been woefully inexperienced in the live music realm of this genre. As a novice, I thought I’d be bored with a guy working behind a table surrounded by overwhelming visuals. I wasn’t bored at all. Bassnectar, no matter how you  spin it (unintentional pun for the win!) is a talented musician. The bass literally caused the stands of the stadium to rattle. I wandered down into the VIP area to get a better look at the action and I found the performance to be almost hypnotic. People have raved about the Bassnectar performance and now I understand why. He was a fitting end to a festival I hope continues in Columbus for many more years.

Be sure to check out Judy Won Photography, who helped us with this coverage.

Empire of the Sun brings the house down. Credit: Judy Won Photography