REVIEW:
Self Help Music Festival was definitely an unforgettable experience. From the circle pits to the crowd surfers, it was an unfamiliar environment, but definitely not an unwelcoming one. The crowd, the music, the acts, and even the security guards were so lively and friendly, the festival was undeniably one of the highlights of my year.
I made a point to shoot, watch, and participate in every set at the festival and I was surprised by how many of the songs and bands I recognized. Every band’s set had their own style of performing and their own unique ways that they interacted with the crowd and utilized their space and lighting. While some bands like Underøath ran around stage, jumped into the crowd, and had a giant LED screen backdrop, other groups such as Streetlight Manifesto had a large array of musicians (saxophone players, a trombone player, drums, guitar, etc.) leaving little room for moving around the stage, they still had high energy and got the crowd jumping. The band Attila’s fanbase even had a chant that they did before, during, and after their set, which is something that I had never seen before. Overall, every set was incredibly unique; it was so entertaining to get to see the different fanbases and the particular things that the crowd would do during each set. Count me in for Self Help: Orlando 2018.
