October 29th, 2022
Second sky 2022
Words by Jacob Tran
Photos by Patrick Le
Festival Experience: Porter Robinson’s Second Sky 2022 with Live Nurture, RL Grime, Virtual Self b2b G Jones, Skrillex
We are truly living amongst a legend. Porter Robinson time and time again shows his gift of curating something special for all to experience.
I have been to my fair share, and I can confidently say that this year’s Second Sky was one of the best festivals I’ve had the pleasure of attending.
Upon landing into Oakland International Airport the Thursday before, we drove past the Oakland Coliseum at least 5 times before the day of the event. My body was filled with excitement each and every time as I tried to peep inside the festival grounds.
If you’ve ever been to a festival, you know that the music is just one part of the experience. The atmosphere, the vibe, the energy of the crowd — these attributes are what make a festival truly special.
Morning of, my crew and I woke up at 7:00 AM on the dot to get ready. After arriving at the festival grounds, we waited anxiously alongside other festival goers as security did not allow anyone to park at the venue yet. I was greeted with Porter fans from all across the country expressing their love for Second Sky. Finally, around 10:00 AM we were able to get into line and wait patiently until the doors opened. About 40 yards in, I started to see people veering off to the right but I insisted on going left. (Attending Second Sky all three years, there are certain things that you pick up from the event planners) What we realized was that the mass was heading towards the VIP entrance. I have never giggled so hard knowing that we were heading to the right way for general admission and were going to be the very first people inside of the festival. The perk of attending early was that there were 100 copies of sign posters from Porter himself in which we happily were able to cop two posters.
As noon rolled around, security finally let us in. As soon as we walked into the festival, we knew it was going to be a great day. The atmosphere was electric, and you could tell everyone there was ready to have a blast. From the merch to food to attractions, everything was thought out by Porter and his team. I was very happy to see Potaro themed merchandise and food items that we thoroughly enjoyed; purchasing a cute reusable water bottle & gachas and indulging in blue dyed baos.
The variety of sounds from salute, bladee, Magdalena Bay and Kyary Pamyu Pamyu made sure that no matter what kind of vibe you were feeling at any given moment in time, you could find something there to match it.
At Second Sky we definitely realized that Hudson Mohawke was not just a Tik Tok one hit wonder but a household name in the electronic music world. Even though the sun was high in the sky, he was able to throw it down. I caught myself getting hyped and jumping with the crowd.
As it was very unfortunate that Fred Again had to drop out of the lineup last minute, I am sure everyone attending was so stoked to hear that the special guest to replace him… was nobody other than the king himself, Skrillex. Besides the fact that his CDJs were messing up and “took a village to figure out”, he dropped some fun IDs in his set. The crowd seemed very grateful to be in his presence and turned up with all the tracks he played including ‘Cinema’, ‘Rumble’, Fuji Opener’, ‘Supersonic’, and ‘Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites’.
Once the sun started to set, Porter’s alter ego Virtual Self performed back-2-back with G Jones. This set itched a part of my brain I was craving. It’s been since 2019 since I’ve seen a Virtual Self set. Virtual Self b2b G Jones was something I never expected but when witnessed, it worked out so well. It warmed my heart seeing them two smile right before a drop. It felt like they were two brothers inventing something so bizarre, that they had to laugh menacingly. The juxtaposition of their split visuals aided in the B2B in such a simple but effective manner. I hope they tour together in the future for everyone that did not go to Second Sky to experience.
RL Grime’s set was one of the most inspiring and impressive performances of the day. A few days before Second Sky, he had a show in LA titled “Dead Space” with up-and-coming talent –Hex Cougar, ISOxo and Knock2. The one thing that blew my mind with this set in particular was his usage of Artificial Intelligence visuals. Shout out to the lighting/production team that worked on it because those visuals mixed with his iconic trap and bass foundation was incredibly immersive. Stay tuned on our ISO400.CLUB Instagram page for some AI visuals we’ve been dabbling with. In the middle of the set, he actually brought out ISOxo and ended up playing this remix by Knock2 of Fire Burning by Sean Kingston. Overall, it was a great set of techno, drum and bass, bass house, psytrance and straight rave music.
As if there wasn’t enough excitement for this day, everyone knew what was coming for the last act. Porter Robinson closed out the night but this time he brought a unique experience to Second Sky with Porter Robinson Together (Live). The audience could feel every emotion as Porter played his heart out on stage. It was clear that he wanted nothing more than for everyone to have an amazing time, which is why he brought along a live band — and even treated them to some of their own solo time in front of the crowd. Even with the controversy of his pianist, Keudae, it was beautiful to see Porter give her a moment in front of everyone there. I ended up tearing up when I saw on the huge screens that she was tearing up. It was a powerful moment. Jamie, the drummer was wearing the same shirt as me and Andy on the guitar was shredding it up. Nurture was definitely meant to be performed with a band even with Porter mentioning this on stage. It was a surreal experience seeing them play some of my favorites together like ‘Something Comforting, ‘Look at the Sky’ and ‘Mirror’. This time around he decided to do a campfire fire edition of ‘Shelter’. With an intimate campfire vibe and visuals throughout, this iconic song was unlike anything we’ve ever seen or heard before. I’ve always loved Porter’s work, but seeing it performed live is such a different experience than listening to it in your car. His live band really brought his songs to life for me and many others in ways that can’t be described.
Porter’s performance truly expressed how much gratitude and connection he had with his fans. The full sense of immersion was witnessed from the stage, as the 25,000 strong stared in awe with pure silence during Porter’s moments on the piano. Porter Robinson Together (Live) really showed how much time, love and energy Porter puts into his craft. Towards the end of his set, Porter finally admits something to the crowd, and tells us that he not only helped produce ‘Clarity’, but he also co-wrote it alongside Zedd. This got the crowd all ecstatic, especially since the last 4 songs he played were straight bangers. Porter’s Nurture live rendition of ‘Clarity’ felt so warm and euphoric.
Entering the encore, I felt like something was missing. It dawned on me that he forgot to play one of the biggest tracks of the year from him. Porter closed out his set and played his latest single ‘Everything Goes On’ featured in League of Legends. He blushingly admits that he just learned how to play the guitar for this one song. Paired with fireworks, this song was the perfect closure to the entire day.
Second Sky is a festival for the soul. It is a place where you can just come as who you are and enjoy great music, perfect weather and delicious food. I love that it’s the perfect single day event, (changed from two days from previous years). It’s an intimate experience that will leave you feeling like you’ve made some wonderful new friends, even if you don’t know anyone there. Overall, the festival was spacious, and everything felt organized and offered a little bit of everything for everyone. Whether it’s to experience the music or the Potaro Oasis, Second Sky is worth checking out and we will definitely be back next year.