Anyone looking for evidence of the sudden turnaround on Sunday at FYF Fest should have been there for Darkside in the Sports Arena.
Just a day after fans pelted the festival with complaints of long lines and difficulty seeing shows in FYF's lone indoor stage, the floor was full for the NYC electronic combo. So were the seats upstairs -- a new addition as part of the logistical turnaround -- but overall there seemed to be space for anyone who wanted to be there. No one rushed the doors; it just worked.
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The many crowd-control improvements weren't just relief for fans making their way around the festival's massive Expo Park complex. It made the music sound better.
From Blood Orange's spot-on set of crystalline funk to Blood Brothers' vicious, invigorating hardcore, when you didn't have to lament your FYF line-waiting woes, you could actually see music and get into the spirit of the day.
Sunday's lineup was probably the superior day, but maybe it was just the sweet relief of breezing through entry lines and slipping through the lessened crowds on the thoroughfare. Even waiting for the Expo Line in downtown was less of a madhouse.
Lesson learned? Festival logistics are something people notice only when you mess up. Credit where credit's due: FYF organizers saw an impending disaster and fixed it overnight. That was the best performance at FYF this year.
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