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By Zach Bourque
HARD Summer 2013 boasted impressively short lines, moderate temperatures and one of their best lineups to date, but all that was overshadowed by the sudden death of a man who collapsed Saturday night.
The two-day festival, which took place at L.A. State Historic Park near downtown on August 3 and 4, was sold out this year and there's good reason why.
The surprisingly eclectic lineup flaunted HARD regulars like Justice and Gesaffelstein as well as left-field choices like 2 Chainz and Empire of the Sun. Buzz acts like Disclosure, Flying Lotus and TNGHT provided some much needed alternative beats for those averse to the headliners.
Needless to say, it wasn't difficult finding something to enjoy. The sold-out crowd was equally as varied, packing plenty of USC bros, underage ravers and everyone in between into the vast, festival friendly grounds that have served as its home for the past three years.
The midnight end time turned out to be both a blessing and a curse, either sending tired attendees home early or bringing them out in force to the official after party at Exchange, which featured special guest performances by Flux Pavilion, Alex Metric and HARD owner Destructo.
HARD continues to reinforce their name as one of L.A.'s finest EDM event producers.
In a tragic turn of events, one attendee suffered cardiac distress and died Saturday night around 10:30 p.m. before Flying Lotus's set. Details are currently unknown of what might have caused his death but our thoughts and prayers go out to his friends and family.
