Waking up to clear skies was a blessing and I thought I’d finally caught a break until I checked my emails:

“Due to concerns over safety conditions surrounding local roads, today, Sunday September 27, TomorrowWorld will be accessible only to visitors currently camping onsite at DreamVille. All daily parking fields will be closed.  Visitor and media shuttles will not be operating.”

I traveled too far and was staying too close to just throw in the towel that easily, so I packed my gear, hopped in the car and took the back roads to try and get into the same staff lot I’d been parking in the past two days. I was dismayed to see a police SUV in the middle of the entrance with its lights on, but the staff working the gate saw my parking pass stuck prominently inside the windshield and waved me through: home free.

The press tent was a ghost town when we arrived around noon, walking past the grumbling staff and security who from the looks and sound of it, hadn’t received any better treatment than the festival goers. Making the best of it, we headed down to the grounds to survey the turnout and see some sets. There were noticeably less people, as the fortunate few still able to access the event were the same ones who had camped out in the rain for the past three nights, but healthy crowds still surrounded each stage.

The first act we saw was someone I hadn’t heard of until that day. A babyfaced 22 year old by the name of Haywyre whose sickening rendition of Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal” had me excited to see what he could do on stage. His setup was similar to what you saw in the video, with a laptop, CDJs and keyboard that he used to riff over the funky jazz grooves he dropped. Definitely worth a listen.

From there it was off to see Rezz. Don’t let the adorable looks of this 20 year old Canadian fool you – she had the darkest and grimiest house/techno set I heard. This was her first US festival appearance and she killed it, dropping originals like “Serenity” and “Contorted” in addition to some new music she’d been working on. Her technical proficiency kept the crowd that had gathered dancing at a smooth and steady pace.

Rezz cited Deadmau5 among her influences and certain musical elements and sounds she incorporated made it easy to hear that; it also wasn’t hard to understand how her tracks found their way onto the Mau5trap label. When we caught up with her after her set, she mentioned two EPs due out later this year, but wouldn’t give specifics about which label they’re coming out on or when. Either way, I can’t wait to hear them.

After interviewing Rezz, we headed back to the Terminal West stage where Haywyre had just played to catch Bakermat, a crazy 23 year old Dutch musical phenomenon who utilized a live saxophone player in his set. His US following and awareness lags behind where he’s at in Europe, hosting his own stage at TomorrowLand in Belgium for what he essentially said was an excuse for him and all of his friends to get together, party and have a good time; but based on how well his performance went, his US presence should be growing in the near future.

The live element brings a certain je ne ses quoi to EDM that elevates it from the bland and blase to a more creative type of performance art. In a time where many DJs are regurgitating the same Beatport top 10s, drops and festival bangers in sets that don’t differ much from one show to the next, Bakermat is blazing a trail, creating deep and soulful music with a message, which you can clearly see in his “One Day” and “Teach Me” videos. I met him after his set for an interview and when we were wrapping up, he invited me to party with him when he gets back to Miami after Holy Ship in January, so stay tuned for the video interview and that update.

Thomas Jack was next on the list, playing from 10-11 on the boat stage. Another artist I hadn’t heard of till that day, but was thrilled to discover – this king of tropical house laid down what I felt was the best set of the entire weekend. The vibe on that small and intimate, but fully-packed stage was giddy and electric as he launched into smooth jams, sampling the likes of Blondie while “Take a Walk on the Wild Side” looped in the background. I dove into his soundcloud as soon as I got back home and have yet to come up for air.

The final set of the night and one of my most anticipated was Porter Robinson Live. My first time seeing Porter was back at EDC Orlando in 2012 when Skrillex brought him on stage and it’s been nothing short of incredible to see and hear the evolution of his act and sound over the past few years.

He walked on stage as a blue spotlight illuminated the booth and opened with “Sad Machine”, from his latest album Worlds, sending a missile of emotion right into the feels. The entire tent, whose crowd was now spilling out the sides, sang along. Due to some technical difficulties regarding settings or gear, his Live set was cut short just as he was going into the “Song of Storms” (from Zelda)/”Easy” transition, but the show must go on and his crew quickly brought out the CDJs. A Porter Robinson DJ set is a rarity these days, as most of his shows take on the Live format, but he can throw down with the best of them, so it was quite a treat.

As soon as setup was complete, he launched into it immediately, recapturing the crowd with the Flume remix of Lorde’s “Tennis Courts” and proceeded to destroy that tent for the remaining portion of his set. Porter Robinson had hands down the best visuals of the weekend, supported by the dynamic duo of Ben Coker (lights, CO2 and streamers/confetti) and Ryan Sciaino a.k.a. Ghostdad (visuals and LED). The combination of Porter’s music and their special effects made for a memorable performance that I’d recommend to anyone.

I was fortunate enough to have an incredible experience at TomorrowWorld despite the terrible weather and I know many, maybe even most, weren’t as lucky.

The shuttle and transportation situation was inexcusable and nothing short of a disaster. My heart goes out to everyone stuck waiting in the taxi/Uber line for hours or trekked miles back in the cold and dark to the off-site lot to get to their cars and to those who ended up passing out while they waited on the side of the road. I didn’t camp because the things I knew I’d want most after a long day at the festival were a hot shower and a comfortable bed and I can’t begin to imagine how livid I’d be if I found myself caught up in that clusterfuck standing between me and those.

That said, the decision to close the doors on Sunday was the right one. The grounds had been so thoroughly trashed by the constant trampling and relentless rain that by day three, the hay and traction pads brought in and laid down hardly made any difference. The three stages in the very back were closed due to how inaccessible the area had become.

Putting on a huge event like TomorrowWorld is a colossal undertaking. There are millions of moving parts that make the task hard enough given favorable conditions and complicate things exponentially when the elements aren’t cooperating. The lights, the sound, the pyro and stages are part of the equation and how the staff is briefed and their subsequent treatment of the attendees are another – the latter left much to be desired.

Sunday tickets are being refunded and while I believe there should be some additional compensation provided to those who braved the hellish Saturday night debacle, it would be difficult figuring out how to do so, but ultimately worth it to try and save some face. I wouldn’t hold your breath though.

There is such thing as a risk to reward ratio. Buying tickets to an outdoor festival has a variety of risk factors involved; from your car breaking down on the side of 95 and not being able to get there to begin with to the weather not cooperating and stages closing and days ending prematurely, as was the case with EDC Vegas the year I went – all circumstances beyond everyone’s control. But none of these ever stop people from returning the following year, TomorrowWorld included. You might not if you had a horrible time, but others will come in your place.

Nothing in life is promised, which is why taking risks and experiencing as much as you can, while you can, is important and in my opinion, what it’s all about.