Chicago Bids Farewell to Summer 2023 Festival Season with Monumental Moments at ARC

Labor Day Weekend often signals the end of the summer season and if we’re to extrapolate that to the world of music, then ARC Music Festival dutifully played its part in bringing the summer 2023 festival season to a close this past weekend. With thousands of attendees converging on Union Park and hours upon hours of house and techno music thumping in the foreground, the festival made for some remarkable memories. It also marked, for the third year in a row, the prominence of the house and techno scene in Chicago, notably argued to be the birthplace of house music.

Over the three days of festivities, we saw everyone from local legends like Hiroko Yamamura and John Summit to international superstars like Fatboy Slim and Peggy Gou. The acts were spread across four stages – The Grid, Elrow, Expansions, and 909 (previously known as The Art Car) – each equipped with the production and pizzazz necessary to complement not only the artists but also the overall environment and energy of the crowd. And even though The Grid was technically the “main” stage, you really were missing out if you didn’t wander off to sets at the other stages.

Wandering is about all I did for the first few hours on Friday, as this was my first year at ARC. I wanted to make sure I got a lay of the land – which wasn’t difficult given the size of Union Park – and, in doing so, I also got to see all the art pieces scattered throughout the park, all of which made for perfect backdrops for group photos throughout the weekend. With the first day being on a Friday and not everyone having off for the long weekend, the crowd was slower to fill in and smaller than the remaining days, but that certainly didn’t stop some sets, like Eric Prydz (of course, since he performed a HOLO set) from getting packed. Even though some flight delays mixed up the original performance schedule, it all worked out in the end because having Tinlicker bumped to closing out 909 was, for me, a much better move than having him play during the day. Other notable sets of the day were Boris Brejcha, who played right before Prydz on The Grid, Sam Divine and James Hype in the Elrow tent, Hiroko Yamamura B2B DJ Minx and Anfisa Letyago at Expansions, and Iglesias at 909.

Saturday was off to a much hotter start than the previous day, and I know I definitely felt the stress of heat exhaustion setting in. People still showed up early and found shade where they could – some people even brought umbrellas – as they danced and shuffled to a day filled with B2Bs. Moodymann B2B Carl Craig was a very remarkable experience and they brought the Detroit techno styles to Expansions. Meanwhile, Jeilah and Eliana were having the time of their lives at 909 and the energy was absolutely infectious as they alternated between DJing and dancing both in the booth and in the crowd. Eli Brown into Patrick Topping into Fatboy Slim made it difficult for me to want to leave The Grid, but catching Dombresky in the Elrow tent (where he dropped a wicked Peggy Gou and Alice Deejay mashup) and Shaun J. Wright at 909 were definitely worthwhile ventures. Expansions was overflowing for Hot Since 82, so I spent more time back at Elrow for the Lee Foss B2B Gene Farris – like I said, it was a big day for B2Bs on Saturday. I admittedly didn’t know what to expect from John Summit with his closing set at The Grid, but I was honestly surprised by how heavy he went and I spoke to a few other people who shared similar sentiments, so shoutout to the hometown hero for a proper day 2 main stage closeout. And for anyone who was looking for something even harder, Nina Kraviz – originally supposed to perform on Friday but had issues with her flight – closed out 909.

Even though Sundays tend to feel a bit sluggish at festivals, it did not feel like that at ARC. The crowd still turned out early to catch acts like Miss Monique and Themba, again finding shade where possible. By now, some people had already been to three ARC after dark parties and two days of the festival, but they still had the energy to dance about, and that contributed to an exciting final day to close out the weekend. For being the smallest stage, 909 had some of the heaviest artists of the weekend that were equipped with Hennessy Sound Design speakers so attendees could feel their bones rattle. Artists like Henry Brooks, Lowki, and Sara Landry all kept that rhythm going even into the final hours of the festival. Elrow kept up the party energy in its tent, even with the original news that Vintage Culture might not be able to make his set due to conditions at Burning Man – he did make it for some of his allotted time, and Wade splendidly carried the torch until he did. Expansions experienced a euphoric close with a Derrick Carter set into a Mochakk set into a Black Coffee set, all of whom drew a decent-sized crowd. And over at The Grid, we got to hear “Nanana”, the Peggy Gou song that has been taking the house and techno world by storm, live from the queen herself right before an enchanting close to the weekend from Tale Of Us.

Sunday was my first night going to an ARC after dark and I wish I had done more prior to the final night. Due to city ordinances, the festival itself stopped at 10 PM every night – which was kind of nice for any of us who are older and a little bit more tired than others – but the afterparties were definitely where people kept the party going and I’m genuinely impressed by how the city of Chicago showed out for the weekend between the festival days and the afterparties. I also loved seeing people from other cities flock in for their shared love of house and techno music – I saw a lot of people I knew from St. Louis and ran into a few people I met at other festivals like Seismic Dance Event in Austin. ARC was not only a wonderful way to spend Labor Day Weekend and cap off the summer festival season, but it also was a reaffirmation of the love and community that exists within this scene. Thank you to everyone who made this past weekend such a joy and delight, and I know ARC is only going to keep getting better.