Reaction NYE was held at the Donald E. Stevens Convention center in Rosemont, Illinois on Dec. 30th and Dec. 31st. One of the four events broadcasted on ABC Presents for Chicago’s New Year’s Eve special, for all of the Chicagoland area to watch on TV. React Presents decided to end their long year of successful festivals, Spring Awakening, Summer Set, Mamby by the Beach, North Coast, and Freaky Deaky, with a New Year’s Eve and festival inspired event
My boyfriend and I won tickets for Reaction at Freaky Deaky, React’s Halloween festival, although the tickets went for about a hundred dollars each. Somewhat steep for what it was, in my opinion. The lineup was what made it worth it. The first night featured artists such as Deadmau5, Run the Jewels, Chvrhces, Bonobo, Cherub, Robin Shulz, ProbCause, Rezz, and more. The second night featured Skrillex, Chance the Rapper, Get Real, Purity Ring, the Floozies, Cashmere Cat, BadBadNotGood, Mija, and others. A mixture of funk, house, trap, synth pop and more to bring all of the attendees together.
Arriving at the event was a little bit of a headache. The streets around it were busy and chaotic and it took us a few drives around to find the parking lot. Once inside, we had to get through security, which was not a problem the first day since we got there early and the lines were not long. The second night, it took me a half hour to get through the girls line because the lady officer was taking her time searching through each and every pocket, while the other lines were moving much faster. There seemed to be about half as many girls' lines than mens' lines. My boyfriend had to wait for me, but the security kept trying to usher him into the next room. We would have lost each other, had I not seen him standing in the doorway once I was out of line. It is important to keep the crowds moving and not clog up the entrance, but not the way this security was handling it.
Large rooms with high ceilings bleed into other rooms with other stages and more people. React Presents one-upped another one of their events this year. The event was 18 and up, with 21 and up accommodations. Mostly young adults from across the Chicago area and other Midwestern states. People of all sorts arrived to this, so there were many different styles and faces. Some dressed in club wear, others in their favorite sports jerseys, or wearing hats adorned with pins. People were dressed to look their best, in whatever attire made them happiest.
There were three stages with access from multiple sides which made it easy to find a good spot to enjoy the music and lights. The Warehouse, the largest of the stages, was placed in the largest room. This is where the big headliners played, such as Deadmau5 and Skrillex. The Hall was the second largest stage, in a room about half the size as the first. The third stage was the Arcade Stage. Closed off with curtains and featured a free arcade. This is where the smaller, lesser known DJs or bands played, and where everyone gathered when nothing was playing on the main stage. The stages were decked out in large screens and a multitude of lights and speakers.
In between the stages and wandering people was a skateboarding demonstration with small ramps and rails. There were also three canvasses where painters created their pieces for others to observe and appreciate, as well as food stands, closed off sections to buy booze, rows of porta-potties, and vendors. I was lucky to find the permanent, clean male and female bathrooms tucked away in a corner.
An official React vendor sold t-shirts, sweatshirts, and prints for the artists and event. There was also about four other vendors such as Grassroots California and others selling pins, tapestries, flashing necklaces and bracelets, and more. All very friendly vendors, aside from one of the vendors who was selling an unofficial pin for the event at a ridiculously expensive price. The food and drink options were standard--hot dogs and pizza with a small selection of beer, Red Bull, or bottled water to choose from.
My boyfriend and I mostly walked around, listening to bits and pieces of the earlier sets, figuring out where the best sound was. The Warehouse stage had an echo if standing in the wrong spot and overall was not good for vocals. The Hall was a smaller room so the sound was a little bit better. The sound from the stages bled into the other rooms, but it did not pose too much of a problem if you got closer to whichever stage you were at. The sets I saw, which were Rezz, ProbCause, Cherub, Deadmau5, The Floozies, Purity Ring, Chance the Rapper, Skrillex, and bits of pieces of everything else, were well put together. Since indoors, the lights and screens were awe-striking for each set, and I enjoyed each set that I saw.
Closing out the first night, Deadmau5’s set was slightly relaxed and progressive at first. As soon as he put on his ears, he started throwing down and the beat picked up; I'm glad I got to cross his name off my "must see list." Run the Jewels played at the same time at the second stage, but I did not catch their set.
The second night brought a larger crowd to experience Skrillex bringing in the new year. Banger after banger, Skrillex made it clear he couldn’t be happier to be in Chicago. Lazers of every color, with graphics and projections of the massive crowd on the screen. Even when my boyfriend and I retreated to the spacious back of the crowd, I did not want to stop banging my head and shaking my butt to his mashups of old and new hip hop, trap, and dubstep.
Overall, I had a really good time at this two night event with my boyfriend. It was well-run and had a stellar lineup. We met some really nice people, although we did run into some people who were having a little too much fun, but there was an attentive medical staff to take care of them. It was a great way to end the year and begin a new one.
