North Coast Music Festival 2022 [Review]

A Stellar Labor Day Weekend in IL

Written and photographed by Breton Spiller

Full of life, music, and creativity, North Coast Music Festival 2022 did not disappoint. The three-day event in Bridgeview, IL, was the exact weekend of music and dancing that we all needed.

Taking place from September 2-4, 2022, North Coast featured sets from a variety of electronic music artists such as Diplo, Voyd, Porter Robinson, Subtronics, and more. There was a bit of something for everyone.

That Svdden Death Presents Voyd set was especially one for the books. Svdden Death (AKA Danny Howland) really brings his audience into a dark and wild world of dubstep every time he steps on stage for a Voyd set. This was exactly the energy we needed to close out an incredible day of music at the Vega Stage.

Local Talent

Not only did all of these big names grace the stages at Seatgeek Stadium, but we also saw a bunch of local midwest talent get their shot at rocking the crowd. We got curated stage lineups from Muze Talent Agency, EDM Chicago, and What’s Good Chicago, and their artists indeed delivered.

Saturday of the festival, Muze Talent Agency took over the Incendia Fire Pit stage. I find it hard to mention standout performances here because each artist was clearly carefully selected, and there wasn’t one set that didn’t have the people moving.

I will give one shoutout to the man YUNIT, though, for having inspired one of the wildest and dustiest mosh pits I’ve seen in a long time. That was bonkers!

There were a handful of stellar performances throughout the weekend from midwest DJs at the Fire Pit stage as well as at the Silent Disco. Each and every one of these artists deserve a round of applause for showcasing what the midwest electronic scene really has to offer.

I give major credit to North Coast for allowing all of these talented up-and-comers their chance to shine on a festival stage.

More Than Music

Now, beyond the music, North Coast really hit the mark in a number of other aspects as well. The stage design, creative art installations, vendor lineup, and more were all top-notch.

The Chill Dome, a feature we also saw at Sacred Rose Music Festival (FKA “The Laser Dome”), was a wonderful space to cool off and chill with your friends. It truly felt like another world and was a great place to escape for a moment.

The Chill Dome – North Coast Music Festival 2022

On that note, I do want to mention the fact that the teams behind Sacred Rose and North Coast Music festivals pulled off two distinctly different and equally wonderful festivals back to back. This is NOT an easy feat to accomplish.

I had the pleasure of attending both festivals, and despite having fairly similar layouts, I didn’t feel like I was in the exact same place again. This could be largely due to exceptionally different lineups and crowds, but catering to those crowds and meeting their varying needs is something the teams behind the scenes deserve recognition for.

All in all, a successful second year of North Coast Music Festival at Seatgeek Stadium and the 12th overall. We here at The Good Music Collectiv look forward to all the things the future of North Coast has in store. We can’t wait to return to one of our favorite hometown fests.