Hangout Music Festival 2023: Day 3 Recap

The dawn of the last day is before us, Hangout Music Festival 2023 and its line up have made us cry, laugh, and sing to the top of our lungs, and although it is sad that it is the last day, the masses remain exited to see what the artists for the day have in stock. 

Beach Weather and The 502s opened the Hangout Stage and the Shein Surf Stage respectively, and their guitar riffs and bouncy saxophone solos definitely woke up the crowd on the third day of the festival. They were followed by Hippie Sabotage, Jessie Murph and Young Gravy, who brought a crowd so energetic even the newest fans couldn't help but go crazy. Young Gravy's set felt extremely personal, he often engaged the crowd in individual conversations; his style of stage presence is something that I have never seen before. It is fresh, it is humble, it is familiar. He created inside jokes with the audience on the spot, threw pool floats for the crowd to play with as they jumped, and in several occasions encouraged the use of these pool floats for crowd surfing purposes, which was just an exhilarating image to witness. In between two of his songs he thanked the Hangout Fest staff for their hard work, and thanked his fans for camping out in the sun, after this him and his team passed tons of water bottles and signed Lunchables to the crowd, encouraging hydration in the hot summer days of the festival. As if this action alone wasn't making the fans' hearts explode with adoration, he also gifted roses to people all over the front rows. 

Hangout Music Festival 2023 definitely did not slip on security and care for everyone attending the event. With hydration stations scattered across the entire festival and signs reminding you to stay hydrated pretty much every 20 steps, the organizers made sure the most was being done to help people have the best experience they could. Camping out in the sun to see your favorite artist isn't easy, staff members knew this and passed down free water and food for the fans, making sure everyone was as safe as possible. In the festival grounds there was a medical tent as well, and the and the staff attending it often walked on stage grounds to check on people and be there in case of an emergency. All in all, Hangout Fest is safe and secure, two things that are optimal for having a good time. 

The Backseat Lovers and Noah Kahan were the next artists up and delivered nerve chilling performances. Standing in the crowd as thousands of voices sang the track "Pool House" by The Backseat Lovers was an almost spiritual experience. The band shyly talked to the crowd in silly sentences and timid smiles, it is easily notable that The Backseat Lovers are young in their careers, with only two albums under their belt, however, if they continue giving shows as preciously genuine as the Hangout Fest set, if they continue with good attitudes and good work ethics, if they continue producing music as rich as they have had, there is no doubts The Backseat Lovers will explore and discover all the new horizons the music industry has to offer. 

The Kid Laroi, Ashnikko, Mayday Parade and Priscilla Block walked on stage ready to perform sets of incredible production to the masses. The Kid Laroi's energy is unmatched by many singing and bouncing all over the stage. Ashnikko and her production was eccentric, thoroughly exiting and the front rows yelled her name at least a million times in adoration. Mayday Parade brought old songs as well as new ones; Priscilla Block blessed the audience with her astounding vocals. Hangout fest was left in awe after this group of artists, but no one could deny the tension in the air ready to burst out as soon as the headliners, Skrillex and Calvin Harris, stepped under the spotlight. 

By 8:30PM, it seemed as though every soul on earth was at the Shein Surf Stage. People were stacked tight against the barricades, looking up past all the speakers, lights and cords, to the floor where a legend would stand. Skrillex came out of the shadows and the shrieks of the audience, I'm almost sure, could be heard from miles away. The artist let loose and allowed the sound system amplify his beats, causing mass sensation throughout the beach. As this artist's set came to a close, everyone turned around and hurried to the Hangout Stage, in a turnover so large it was overwhelming. Calvin Harris was next up and no one could miss that. 

The Hangout Stage was loaded with smoke machines and pyrotechnics all around, a giant screen was set in front of the DJ console where Harris would stand, and the lighting technicians were ready for the last set of Hangout Music Festival 2023. The question was, 'is the crowd ready?' The audience in question extended for what seemed miles, screaming the artist's name, anxious to see what the last set of Hangout Fest 2023 had to offer. Revamped old tunes mixed with new songs were the spotlight that night, the audience knew every word, even when Calvin Harris put innovative spins to the tracks. 

Hangout Music Festival 2023 closed with the most colorful fireworks, putting a seal to a weekend of beautiful memories that would last a lifetime. 

Want to catch the rest of WEGL's Hangout Fest coverage from this weekend? Check out the links to our other recaps below!

Hangout Music Festival: Day 1 Recap

Hangout Music Festival: Day 2 Recap

Hangout Music Festival: Weekend Recap