88Rising’s Head in the Clouds Music and Arts Festival started with a bang this Saturday with major debut festival and LA performances for many artists such as Hojean, Milli, Joji’s DJ set under the name of Yebi Labs and many more. Day one of the festival left the crowd eager for more as artists surprised fans with jaw-dropping performances, including showing some skin like fan favorites Jay Park and Sik K.
The fourth annual Head in the Clouds Festival returned to the Brookside at The Rose Bowl this weekend with major artists setting the bar high for day one on Saturday, Aug. 20. The festival continues to expand year after year to meet the high demand of attendees wanting to experience the unforgettable Pasadena event. This year, Head in the Clouds included a night club in a tent with the addition of the Club Year Of, a dance tent as the third stage for guests to enjoy ongoing DJ sets. Other expansions included Joji’s Pop Up Shop, Nicole’s Experience in which guests could have a professional yearbook photographs taken and the Ambush pop-up.
Day one kicked off with DJ Triple XL at the Double Happiness stage setting the atmosphere with a nearly two-hour long hype set as guests swarmed into the festival eager to see their favorite artists. The main stage was opened by Korean American R&B and soul singer-songwriter Hojean, who not only stunned guests with a stunning debut festival performance but also the number of thick layers he wore on stage under a blazing sun.
Other artists who were warmly welcomed by guests are 19-year-old Thai female rapper Milli and 26-year-old New Jersey rapper Shotta Spence. Fighting back tears from an incredibly enthusiastic welcome from the crowd, Milli performed her hit “Mango Sticky Rice,” jumped roped on stage and twerked causing the crowd to lose their minds. Shotta Spence charged up the crowd with a very energetic set that lead to lots of head banging and jumping from both on stage and in the crowd during his song “Dirty Jersey.”
The LA-based dance group The Kinjaz made a spectacular appearance at the 88Rising’s main stage. Though fans very much enjoyed their performance, many guests were left disappointed how fast their 10-minute performance went by. The night continued with a jaw-dropping show by Jay Park who not only surprised fans by going shirtless, but also brought out Sik K and pH-1 who were immediately showered by fans’ bras.
The night was closed with performances by Keshi, who filled in for Nikki who had to step-down after testing positive for Covid, and the debut of Joji’s DJ set Yebi Labs. Of course, Joji included some extra entertainment within his set not only with a very remarkable DJ mix but also displaying memes on screen and within his music. Fans were mind-blown by Yebi Labs’ impressive set, mixing Joji’s hits with major clubs hits and even a small glimpse of Disturbed’s “Down With The Sickness.” Day one officially concluded with a surprise performance by Joji of his hit songs “Slow Dancing In The Dark” and “Glimpse of Us.”
Day one of Head in the Clouds 2022 was quite a success, let’s see what day two has in store.
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