After seeing Illenium last year at the Global Dub Festival, I knew he would be a rising star. Being a Denver Native, it was amazing to see him open for the main act at Red Rocks.
When I saw he was coming to New Zealand, I got tickets as soon as they went on sale! He would be performing at “The Studio Venue” on K-Rd for his “Awake Tour,” which is his new album.
View from the 3rd floor
There were 2 opening acts for Illenium, but we only made one: Dabin. My boyfriend and I got drinks on the main floor and headed upstairs to see the view from there. We were pleasantly surprised to see one more floor with seats. We sat down, cheersed, and listened to the Canadian.
After our beer we went to the side of the stage, which overlooked the main floor and the pit of fans. Everyone was jamming to Dabin, who had some fun graphics and nice beats. Nothing too mainstream, but my boyfriend really liked him.
Next up was the main man, Illenium himself! He started off slow with some gnarly lights and visuals, and then dropped the sickest beat! Even though I was flying my American flag in hopes of getting a shout out, I decided to rush down to the main floor to be closer to the action.
We got right up to stage right and had a great view! The sound was a little muffled, but its always more fun to dance in the midst of the crowd.
Illenium played for an hour and a half and really rocked the house the entire time. He even came back for one encore song. 
Once the lights came on, we were right by the emergency exit and they opened the doors so we left via the back. It as nice to get some air, and we wandered around K Rd to get some food before Ubering home.
Tip: Always represent your countries flag, especially if the artist is from there! It got my group a shout out from Lil Dicky 🙂
Who was the best person you have discovered at a festival?
