Early this month, I had the pleasure of attending Austin’s greatest EDM festival better known as Euphoria Fest. Special thanks to Euphoria for the FREE 3-Day GA Pass that I received via Twitter! Since last semester, I became a Euphoria College Ambassador for my university as well as the city of Austin. I promoted the festival online throughout my personal social media accounts and distributed promotional products around the my area. It was a great experience to be part of a street team!
I decided that it would be an awesome idea to give YOU 5 tips and tricks for next year’s Euphoria Festival.
1. Best Clothing
Like every other EDM festival, attendees usually wear flashy and fury rave wear. However I am not a hardcore raver, so I believe wearing something cute and comfortable for an outfit is the way to go. The outfit I put together consisted of a cute mesh black shirt with a pair of mom shorts and my go-to platform black tennis shoes. Since I didn’t want to carry a nice purse or a backpack, I brought with me a good-old fanny pack for this occasion. I learned the hard way that it gets a bit chilly at night, therefore don’t forget to carry a light jacket or sweater. You can even incorporate a flannel in your outfit and just wear it around your waist till it gets cold. I had been told by my friends to bring a bandana for trendy purposes, yet it came in handy to cover my nose and mouth from all the dirt around Carson Creek Ranch.
2. Rides & Parking
There are 3 different ways you can get to the festival:
- Personal Car ($20 for parking)
- Ride Sharing
- Complementary Euphoria Bus
I thought that the most convenient way would be the Euphoria Bus since it is FREE for attendees. Nevertheless, I experienced for myself and the Euphoria Bus was the most unorganized thing ever. It look my friends and I FOREVER to get out of the festival grounds. Ride sharing is crazy expensive it should be your last resort ever. With all of this being said, the best bet will be to carpool with the group of friends you are going with and split the parking costs. If you have a friend that has a media pass, be aware that they all get a free parking spot and you should try to ride with them first. Always make sure you have a designated driver that will not drink alcoholic beverages at all during the festival.
3. Camping
For this specific festival, there is a camping portion where you can camp during the 3 days of Euphoria. I heard that it is a unique experience since you basically sleep, eat, rave, and repeat for a whole weekend. It is a fantastic way to meet other people who enjoy the same music as you do! One problem that my friends and I noticed when attendees tried to unload their camping essentials was that they couldn’t get near the camping site at all. Campers had to carry their stuff and walk a long path to get to the site. I saw that Euphoria camping experts had carts or dollies that they used to transport their camping supplies to their camp site.
4. Better View
Ever since I have been attending concerts and festivals, I have to deal with finding ways to actually see the performers because I am so short compared to everyone else. I realized that if I wasn’t able to get front row, I could make my way to the stage from the sides. Euphoria offers a VIP section on the right side of the stage, so I decided to stay on the VIP barricade and that is how I was able to see! Also, one of the artists was kind enough to let me stand with her on the VIP section for a while. She had saw me struggling when I was trying to find a spot for myself to see one of the acts.
5. Food & Drinks
From tacos to pizza, there are tons and tons of food trucks to choose from during the festival! If you decide to join the college ambassador program, you are able to get vouchers for free meals. That is how I ate when I was there! The festival offers beer and wine if you want alcoholic beverages. One great tip is that security guards always have water in hand, so if you don’t want to leave your spot for water you can always kindly ask for a water. I have learned that part of the security guards’ job is to keep you hydrated and don't want you to pass out before you see your favorite act on stage.
Overall, Euphoria Festival was a mystical experience for sure! I discovered plenty of upcoming DJs and I can’t wait to see their career grow in the next few years! I hope my tips and tricks are useful if it’s your first Euphoria adventure or if you are a rave expert!
It’s been about 2 weeks and I am still recovering from South By Southwest! This year was BY FAR the most fun I have had at this festival. Because I missed last year’s SXSW, I decided I would attend every one of them until I graduated. This time I took part in 8 days of concerts, parties, and film screenings.
As always, I have to thank the company who gave me the opportunity to attend the music part of SXSW for free. This time it was Esurance, so HUGE SHOUTOUT to them for coming in clutch! You can find their booth at the Austin Convention Center and sign up for a Esurance Pass. Every day during South By, you can go to the Esurance booth and scan your pass for a chance to win an awesome prize! Previous prizes have been GoPros, Mac Books, PS4s, TVs, and other electronics. Next time, DON’T miss out on the cool perks Esurance has to offer!
DAY 1:
Nowadays, I spend more time watching videos on Youtube than watching TV. Therefore, I am very familiar with the Youtube community. AwesomenessTV was kind enough to invite me and some other fans to Toddrick Hall’s “Behind The Curtain” movie premiere. The movie is basically a documentary of Toddrick’s life and how he manages to create these spectacular videos. I had no idea how much effort it went into being an online content creator.
As we walked around 6th, one of my friends spotted Cole Spouse. When I approached him, I realized that KJ Apa, Archie from Riverdale, was with him as well. The funny thing was that KJ couldn’t believe that I knew who he was since most people would only ask Cole for a picture. They both were extremely nice and we had a pretty decent chat about who I liked on Riverdale and my thoughts about the show (by the way... they both said to root for Veronica and f*ck Betty lol). It’s nice to actually have conversations with the people I look up to and realized that they are just as human as I am.
~ Riverdale airs every Thursday at 9/8c on The CW ~
DAY 2:
Before spring break, I saw on Twitter that Prison Break was coming back with a new season! I did some research to see if they were coming to SXSW and they were! Prison Break invited a couple of fans and I to see the first episode of Season 5 and for a Q&A with the cast members. Judging by the first episode, I can tell you that it is going to be a great season! I was left wanting to know more and I even started thinking on some theories for the future. Dominic Purcell, Sarah Wayne Callies, Robert Knepper, and the screenwriters were a blast to hang out with! They were extremely down-to-earth and funny!
~ Prison Break returns April 4th on FOX ~
Oh I also ran into Bill Nye!! BILL BILL BILL! It was definitely one of the highlights of my week! According to the people who attended his movie screening, it is really worth watching!
DAY 3:
I attended the SXSW trade show to witness some cool inventions that are being created and to network with innovative people! From VR to delicious food, I enjoyed every single part of it! The elevator pitches that I heard were really good and motivated me to keep building my brand. While I was at the trade show, I noticed that Matthew Espinosa, a former Viner, was also there! He was such a sweetheart that we bonded over some yummy stroopwafels.
Eventually, I went to see my friends’ band play at Scratchouse later that day! New Waves Concerts were the ones putting the showcase, so I couldn’t miss it! I was able to relax for a bit and listen to a lot of refreshing music from local artists here in Austin, TX.
~You can go check out my friends’ band Teqeela Mockingbirds on FB and Instagram!~
DAY 4:
Concerts on concerts and more concerts! My friends and I started and ended the day with music! By noon, we were watching Lil Yachty perform at the Empire Control Room--courtesy of Mazda (Car company). Lil Yachty is extremely fun to watch live! He even pointed at me during his set haha!
At night, we went to SXSW Takeover Day 1 with Ugly God and other hip-hop performers. I discovered a lot of different rappers and now I listen to their songs all the time! “Gassed Up” by Nebu Kiniza has been stuck in my head ever since that day.
DAY 5:
Thanks to Twix, I was able to get VIP for their SXSW week event at Bar 96. I had never been to this particular bar and I seriously think that I will be going more often; it has a great vibe. At the Twix house, I saw a new rapper called Kweku Collins. There’s something so unique about the way he performs, and I will sure keep an eye out for him! After that, I met Bridgit Mendler and we chatted for a bit. She has a new single called Can’t Bring This Down with rapper Pell which is now available everywhere!
DAY 6:
The Woodie Awards is a must-go during SXSW! The great thing about the Woodies is that their event is 18+ and fans are able to see the biggest artists for free! I attended two years ago and the camera man remembered me haha! This time I saw Young M.A., Khalid, Desiigner, KYLE, D.R.A.M., Lil Yachty, and others!
One of my friends was asked to take pictures of The Cool Kids, so I was able to see them perform that night! My group of friends were the only young ones in that crowd haha! However, The Cool Kids do have great songs that are worth listening to! “Connect 4” has to be my favorite single from their new music!
DAY 7:
I appreciate Vibes for giving me free tickets to Blackbear’s concert! I have been a big fan of him for the longest and being able to see him live for the first time was unreal! Blackbear is an incredible songwriter that manages to make all of his songs extremely relatable. For sure, this concert was the best one I attended that week! If you haven’t heard already, Blackbear is part of a band called Mansionz with Mike Posner and their first album is out now! You can find it on Soundcloud, iTunes & Spotify!
DAY 8:
At this point, I WAS EXHAUSTED. I have no idea how people finished the whole SXSW festival. Anyways, the last performer I saw was Lil Uzi Vert and I am so happy that I did! He was very energetic and everyone was pumped during his set! I had no idea that I knew a lot of his songs haha!
by Matthew Hersh Films
And that’s basically my whole recap on SXSW..
I hope you enjoyed my concert stories and meeting celebrities.
I really recommend attending South By Southwest if you live in Texas, it is truly worth it!
You can find my previous post on tips and tricks when attending SXSW here.
3 Reasons Why You Should Go See Latin Artist Maluma On Tour
Colombian Artist Maluma is currently on his first official U.S. Tour! All of his previous shows have SOLD OUT in minutes! Maluma is known for being a reggaeton singer with a sweet tenor voice. His music is very romantic as well as groovy!
I had the pleasure of attending Maluma’s Houston concert a couple of weeks ago and I can say it was one of the best concerts I have seen in a while. Therefore, I came up with three reasons why YOU should go to one of his concerts!
Low Price
Although Maluma is a big star in Latin America, he just started to expand his career in the United States. Which means that tickets are not as expensive as they usually are. Tour tickets are around $30-$100 depending on how close you want to be from the stage. Maluma also has VIP M&G’s that you can purchase for a good deal! Check it out because next year’s U.S. tour is probably going to be double the price!
Small Venues
I am not fan at all of stadium tours since you can barely see the artist perform. It is better to catch them at smaller venues when possible! You have more chances of your favorite artist to interact with you! As usual, Maluma chooses a fan and brings her on stage to sing to her. So, if you are looking for a more intimate performance this is the time. Don’t miss out!
Great Vibe
I believe Bachata is one of the best music genres out there! It’s fun fun fun! The rhythm is always contagious and makes you want to dance even if you don’t know Spanish! Maluma makes it even better with his incredible dance moves that sync perfectly with his songs. In the same way, the lights and visuals are very colorful that makes the concert more enjoyable.
I hope you at least consider listening to Maluma for some cool songs!
You can still catch Maluma on the following dates:
Thursday, March 23, 2017 Phoenix, AZ Comerica Theater
Friday, March 24, 2017 Las Vegas, NV The Chelsea @ The Cosmopolitan
Saturday, March 25, 2017 San Jose, CA City National Civic Center
Sunday, March 26, 2017 Los Angeles, CA Microsoft Theater
Cardenas Marketing Network is making it possible for Maluma to bring his show to all of his American fans.
When it comes to concerts, I like to keep a memory of them by taking a couple of pictures. That is why I started this Tumblr - I wanted a place to share my concert memories. Yet, I have found that I should not take an excessive amount of videos or pictures at live concerts because it distracts me from enjoying the music.
Throughout my years of being a fan, I discovered that people actually take pictures of artists for a living. Concert photography plays a big role in the music industry. It captures those unforgettable moments that fans would like to relive. My favorite concert photographer is Nesrin Danan also known as blackprints. She is 21 years old and lives in Portland, Oregon. I found out about Nesrin’s incredible photography through my favorite rapper, G-Eazy. She is unbelievable with lighting, movement, and color when it comes to shooting live shows. In addition, Nesrin has some great artist portraits that captures the off-stage personality of the artist. I have been following her on social media for a couple of years now and her concert pictures are definitely the best ones out there!
Nesrin has been a big inspiration for me to keep pursuing my dreams in the music business. Throughout college she decided to grow her personal brand and get out of her comfort zone to make great connections. Nesrin created her passion for music and photography into a career, which I believe is the greatest thing to do.
Now that Nesrin is finishing up college, she will be able to focus entirely on photography. She will be taking the road with upcoming artist KIIARA on The Chainsmoker’s Memories: Do Not Open Tour this year!
Photo by: Jake Chamseddine
Keep up with her on social media:
Instagram/Tumblr/Youtube - @blackprints
Twitter - @blackprints_
Website - www.nesrindanan.com
P.S. Nesrin just started her Youtube channel, so you should go watch her first
I have decided to review concerts from local bands to major recording artists. Concerts are my guilty pleasure and I would like to share my thoughts about upcoming concerts that I believe people should experience! My ultimate goal is to encourage you to stop singing along to your favorite songs on the radio and actually attend a live performance. I do think concerts bring joy to people in different ways, which is why I would like you to get a taste of what it is like to be a concertgoer!
I had the opportunity to chat with Brian Logan Dales and Josh Montgomery from the pop-rock band The Summer Set while they were in Austin TX for their Stories For Monday Tour! During our conversatio…
Hi everyone! I finally uploaded my long waited blog post with The Summer Set! We discussed their new album Stories For Monday and their ongoing tour!
