Electric Zoo Review – THE NYC Music Event of the Year!

By Jennifer Shanteau; Photos by Miguel Pimentel

You never know what you’re going to run into at the Electric Zoo: Transformed, or even what’s going to run into you!  My photographer literally got run over by a zeal of blow up zebras as they joyously bobbed by! Here is the Electric Zoo Review.

The three day festival this past Labor Day weekend on beautiful Randall’s Island was a feast for your eyes, your ears, your taste buds and your heart.  The zoo theme was carried spectacularly throughout the venue, with animal art installations amped up with flowers and colors and lights strewn about the grounds, not to mention the zoo themed costumes of some of the festival goers themselves.

It was as visually stimulating as it was anything else. It’s Halloween in the summer, but instead of creepy jack o’ lanterns and fear and darkness, there were sweet animals and love and light.

I was impressed by the amount of effort taken to ensure responsible party going.  Everything from the free water refill stands, to the Earth Choice food containers, to the food, was taken into consideration.  One of the food vendors even told me they were not allowed to bring in any meat that wasn’t humanely raised.

Speaking of food, there were enough options for it to have an entire festival in its own right!  From Korean to Mexican, from carnivorous to vegan, there was something delectable to please everyone’s palate. One of my favorite treasures of the weekend was the Lobster Roll from Luke’s Lobster.  I never tire of a perfectly buttered, soft, yet toasted roll filled with big chunks of fresh, sweet lobster meat! In fact, I am going to have to admit, it is an obsession of mine.  I could have eaten them all weekend long!

Alas, I was eager to see what other edible discoveries could be found at this feast, possibly even a new obsession, so I carried on.  That is when I found Taco Ninjas creating Mexican masterpieces at Peace, Love, Tacos.  Russell, my personal taco ninja, created a trio of tacos for me to try, Chicken and Kale, Chicken and Pineapple and a unique option, a Sweet Potato Taco. Not only were these some of the prettiest tacos I have ever seen, but they were among the tastiest.  I’ve never had a chicken and pineapple taco before, and now feel like I have wasted several years of my life having gone without.

Since I was on a chicken high, I decided Wings would be an appropriate next bite, so off to Epicurean Events I did go.  When they handed me my Basket of Wings I thought they looked like any other wings I’ve seen.  However, when I bit into them, the story changed.  They were fresh and hot, right out of the fryer with crispy skin and juicy, tender meat.  YUM!  (Insert foodgasm.)

I know you’re not going to believe me, but anyone who knows me knows chicken isn’t something I usually like, let alone love, but this festival was turning me into a “chicken-a-holic”! Just look at these Sandwiches from Red Star!

I hung out with Dev Bhandari, just before he went on at the Vitamin Water Treehouse, just one of the five stages at the EZOO, each offering from five to eight different DJs or bands per day.   He went on right after Ace Alvarez, also a New York based DJ, who I had the pleasure of speaking with while absorbing the chill, private cool kids party ambience at the treehouse.  Speaking of cool kids, Chriss Vargas, although not performing, was there hanging out, representing NYC, too.  At the treehouse, I felt like I was “in the know”.  Bhandari later joined Jean Pierre in a set not to be missed.

On the Main Stage, the combined energy of the performers and the adoring crowd was palatable!

The later it got, the more you felt its intensity, with a member of DVBBS jumping up on the light display to wow the crowd even more.

This particular stage had the best display of lights by far!  It was mammoth! I felt as if I was being drawn into the maw of this enormous illuminated phoenix.

The Sunday School Grove was continually bumping out some sick beats.   I was practically transfixed by Hot Since 82, and the enormous black and white striped Octopus that made up the Riverside stage was visually certainly one of the most memorable.  It was also the only stage you could view from the Smirnoff tent, so not a bad place to be at all.

Its difficult to pick a favorite, because every area had its own unique blend of fabulousness, but if forced, I would have to say the Mastercard Hilltop Arena was most my cup of tea.  Once I heard Griz, it was all I wanted to hear all night!  They hit that cord inside me that made me want to jump, and dance, and throw my fist into the air. The atmosphere was a high energy party I didn’t want to end.

Even the bartenders there were feeling the vibe as they jumped up on the bar and squirted the crowd with giant water guns.  Then….. The Glitch Mob came into my life and rocked my world, and from the look on the faces of everyone around me, I wasn’t alone in my adoration. Yes, new music has been downloaded into my iPhone.

If you didn’t attend the Electric Zoo:  Transformed this year, you definitely missed out!  My taste buds, my ears, my eyes, and my heart are all better off for having indulged in this once in a lifetime type experience. EZOO……unitl next year XO! Hope you enjoyed the Electric Zoo Review.

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Click here for more photos of the Electric Zoo. 

 

Click Here to Drink in a Treehouse-ish Bar in Harlem.