If you catch a show by Kaskade in a Las Vegas nightclub, you’re likely to see light projections and pyrotechnics to go along with his electronic dance music.
But if you catch Kaskade at his Sun Soaked beach party in Long Beach July 21, lasers will be replaced with warm sunlight and you can watch the movement of the Pacific Ocean instead of a highly-produced visual spectacle.
“It’s just one of those things when I was standing up there playing about halfway through my set and the sun was setting and it was that beautiful moment on the beach when it’s dusk…it was the perfect setting,” Kaskade said, recalling last year’s inaugural Sun Soaked.
With the stage by the ocean and the sand as the dance floor, the massive beach party will attract a sold-out crowd of about 30,000 people to Alamitos Beach, more than double the 13,000 fans who attended last year.
“I mean, what’s not to love, right? House music on the beach. So I decided to work it up, do it a second time and see if I could do it bigger and better and make it more fun,” he said.
Last year, the dance party had to share the area with the World Series of Beach Volleyball, which happened on the same weekend. But since the volleyball tournament isn’t happening there this year, Sun Soaked’s footprint is about four times the size of last year’s, allowing for the expanded crowd capacity.
“We own the beach for the afternoon,” Kaskade said.
The day of music will include performances by other DJs, but Kaskade is keeping the guest acts a secret for now since he wants to surprise his fans. And while he headlines the show, he hasn’t yet announced what time he’s going on stage, either. (But if you want the details it would be wise to follow Kaskade on Instagram since that’s where he plans to release the information.)
As one of the biggest names in EDM, Sun Soaked is the latest accomplishment for the Pacific Palisades resident whose given name is Ryan Raddon. The Grammy-nominated DJ performed a notable set at Coachella in 2015 and in 2016 he sold out the Los Angeles Convention Center and performed in front of 30,000 fans.
Sun Soaked comes in the middle of a U.S. tour for Kaskade that ends with several Las Vegas dates through November. So if you miss him at the beach you can still see him in a more typical EDM setting, but without the natural scenery.
Kaskade’s beach shows in locales such as Brazil have been among his favorite performances He wanted to recreate that same vibe with a scenic California beach background and he’s hoping to make Sun Soaked an annual event.
“That’s what I’m shooting for, something that’s so incredible that every year you’re ‘My gosh, I have to go to this,’ ” he said.
Sun Soaked
When: 2-10 p.m. July 21
Where: Alamitos Beach, 700 E. Shoreline Drive, Long Beach
Tickets: Sold out
Information: www.kaskademusic.com
