The Lights Out Music Festival debuted in El Paso bringing over 20 acts to three different stages in an all-day music event. The shows and artists took the stage starting at 2 p.m. in the Buchannan’s Event Center and different talents performed on three stages throughout the venue.
The spacious venue worked perfectly with what the show wanted to achieve. The ability to have multiple stages at the same time made it seem like a music festival.
Vendors set up art shops and sold different pieces to the public. There was a group of food trucks outside and allowed the concert-goer to eat while listening to music.
The dark-lighted center set the mood for a more intimate show, and the actual lighting while the bands were playing was awesome.
Up-and-coming acts, such as Neely, were slated early on in the day. The only drawback of the early acts is that sometimes there would be simultaneous acts that would be playing, which would draw attention away from the overall concert.
After Kilo and the Dew, who played their pop-punk set on the second stage, Stan Z brought their alternative hip-hop set to the stage. They captivated listeners with their hard beats from DJ Boomkat.
Following Stan Z, another alternative hip-hop band, Josh Brown, took the main stage with his three-member band. The group ventured through hip-hop flows and incorporated funk sounds to back him up.
ANiMAL SOUL brought their alternative rock/indie set to the second stage and showcased their talents in a more intimate show.
Frythm, who was probably the best act of the night, delivered his DJ set on the main stage. The El Paso native, who released his first album “Astral Phonics” this year, proved to be a treat to watch. He went through trap beats, hip-hop samples and indie keys throughout his set. He had swift transitions to the next song and delivered such an incredible set.
Fixed Idea and Ribo Flavin’ were in charge of headlining the evening. Fixed Idea, who was dappered down in a more formal attire to add style, brought their alternative rock style to the festival. Ribo Flavin’ despatched their alternative indie/reggae band to the main stage.
Among the negatives about the festival as that the crowd was not big enough for almost any of the shows during the night. However, this did not stop local talents from truly playing stellar shows.
Although the crowd was stagnant the entire night, the Lights Out Music Festival laid its foundations and could definitely deliver growth in the coming years. Housing local acts in the Buchannan Event Center was a cleaver idea and the event could blow up if they continued it in a couple years.
Adrian Broaddus may be reached at theprospectordaily.entertainment.com
