Festival BUE: Day 1 and 2 (ARG)

Carla Huysmans

Festival BUE’s 5th edition took place on December 15th and 16th at Tecnopólis in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The lineup consisted of a wide range of artists and featured both international and local acts. Click here to see photos of day 1 and 2.

Arcade Fire came back to Argentina to present their 5th studio album ‘Everything Now’ and headlined day 1 of the festival. It was the bands first time in Argentina since their set at Lollapalooza (ARG) in 2014. The band entered their boxing ring-themed stage via the photo pit and made an intimate entrance by greeting the fans before beginning their long-awaited set. They opened up their show with the title track of their latest album, ‘Everything Now’. The Canadian’s continued their set with some older hits such as ‘Rebellion (Lies)’, ‘Put Your Money On Me’, and ‘The Suburbs’. Arcade Fire photos here.

Some other day 1 acts included Parquet Courts, Thievery Corporation, and Él mató a un policía motorizado. The New York band Parquet Courts made their Argentine debut and brought some great indie rock vibes to the festival. For Argentine band Él mató a un policía motorizado, it was their return to the festival after headlining in 2016.

On day 2 the festivals turn out seemed to have doubled, and parking at the festival became impossible. Everyone was there to see Gorillaz make their debut in Argentina. Due to weather conditions, the groups headlining slot was moved from 11pm to 7:45pm. Thank god it did. Damon kept the crowd waiting though and stepped on stage at 8pm. The supergroup opened up their set with ‘M1 A1′, this instantly got the audience jumping and lead more than a few to blackout. The band shared the stage with Vince Staples, De La Soul, Pevan Everett, Jamie Principle, Zebra Katz, and Jehnny Beth of Savages. Throughout the performance, Damon switched between his megaphone, microphone, keyboard, guitar, and even melodica. Vince Staples joined the band and presented his collaboration ‘Ascension’ and brought so much hype to the set as did Jehnny Beth with ‘We Got the Power’. The band then left and came back a few minutes later for their encore. They played 4 final songs, ‘Hong Kong’, ‘Feel Good Inc’, ‘Clint Eastwood’, ‘Don’t Get Lost in Heaven’, and ‘Demon Days’ Gorillaz really made their mark in 2017 with their album release ‘Humanz’ and Festival BUE was a great way to finish off the extensive tour they embarked on earlier this year.

The minute Gorillaz finished off their performance the weather instantly shifted. Thunderstruck and it started to pour. Everyone was evacuated from the outdoor stage and sent to the indoor stage. Due to the conditions, Major Lazer was canceled. For the rest of the night, everyone was piled up in the indoor stage and local bands such as Los Reyes del Falsete and Perras on the Beach took the stage.