The UMF, which signals the end of spring break in Miami and hosts an array of dance festivals over the world, saw its first sellout crowd in its 12 year run.
With the star-studded lineup for this year’s festival, it really is no wonder that so many people were anxious to attend.
Some of the world’s premier house/trance/electronic artists, such as Deadmau5, Tiësto and Armin Van Buuren, graced a few of the seven stages in Miami’s Bicentennial Park this year.
Devout fans flooded the Miami Beach area from all over the country to watch their favorite artists play at what has been called “the Warped Tour of dance music.”
The first day of Ultra Music Festival, which started at 4 p.m., featured artists Kaskade, Eric Prydz, LMFAO, will-i-am and Passion Pit amongst many others.
These artists took their turn pumping up the crowd for the night’s headliners: David Guetta and Tiësto.
Arguably the most recognized name in the U.S. dance scene, French DJ David Guetta entertained the crowd for nearly 90 minutes with his fusion of house and pop music.
His radio ballads such as “When Love Takes Over” and “Love Is Gone” immediately grabbed the audience and the dancing and glow stick twirling commenced.
After David Guetta made his exit, many assumed that the concert had ended.
With adrenaline sky high, Tiësto, one of the greatest trance DJs ever, played the final set on the main stage.
His light show alone was something to write home about, not to mention his performance.
The Dutch DJ played nearly a two hour set that featured songs such as “Feel it In My Bones,” “Escape Me” and the powerhouse trance hit “Adagio for Strings.”
As if Friday night wasn’t enough for the fans, Saturday showcased more of the world’s top DJs.
Although the festival started at noon, fans, regardless of their hangovers, managed to wake up in time to wait outside for the show’s beginning.
A slew of artists started the day in the blistering heat, showing off their unique styles of electronic music.
Saturday afternoon was eventful, but the party really began when Benny Benassi took stage.
Known for his deep bass and build-ups, the Italian DJ brought an eclectic mix of old and new material, including the smash hit “Satisfaction.”
Ranked as the number one DJ in the world for the last year, Armin Van Buuren also played a star studded set for the UMF.
His build-ups and enthusiastic performance had the Miami crowd singing and dancing along.
But the real treat, arguably the best set of the night, was still to come.
The powerhouse trio known as Swedish House Mafia took the second-to-last slot of the main stage Saturday night.
UT student and Swedish native Daniel Bergstand could not have been more excited.
“At one point I was lifted above the crowd and I was waving my Swedish flag to the music,” Bergstrand said.
“It was by far the most fun I’ve had in a long time.”
Finally, after nearly 36 hours of anticipation, UMF’s main headliner Deadmau5 took stage to conclude the festival.
The Canadian DJ, famous for his custom-made mouse mask, wrapped up the festival with a heart-pounding set that was the perfect ending.
UMF in Miami will go down in the books as the first in the series to sell-out, but it will also go down as some of the funnest times the audience members will remember.
It’s rare enough to catch one of these foreign DJs in the U.S.A., but to catch so many at the same time is something many never expected.
Whether you like dance music or not, one thing’s for sure: the dance music scene is storming the United States.
Zach Fraser can be reached at zfraser@ut.edu.