Skrillex, Fred Again.. and Four Tet Deliver an Unforgettable Finale to Sziget 2024
Could it happen: Skrillex, Fred Again.., and Four Tet together on stage to close out Sziget 2024? Let’s not beat around the bush: no, but the three artists did deliver separate, yet equally unforgettable performances that no one will forget anytime soon. This gave Sziget 2024 a fitting ending, as after six days of partying, calm returns to Budapest today.
We’ve mentioned before about the high temperatures in Hungary, but Monday was by far the toughest day in that regard. With temperatures reaching at least 35 degrees Celsius, it wasn’t pleasant to be wandering around the festival grounds during the hottest part of the day. As a result, the crowds didn’t really start to gather on the bridge towards Óbuda Island until around 6 to 7 PM. After that, it was a rush to the main stage for Skrillex and closing act Fred Again…
Before the DJs took the stage, however, it was Raye’s turn. One moment she was singing a calm jazz number, and the next, she was pouring all her energy into songs like “Genesis.” With her band in white shirts, a white stage, and a white piano, it almost felt gospel-like at times, which might have been a good thing, considering the rest of the evening saw plenty of things happening that God might have forbidden.
Admittedly, you have to be into it, but if you give in to Skrillex’s music, you can really let loose. That’s what the American DJ had to rely on because, with the mix of smoke and dust clouds, combined with some fire and lasers, you often had to strain to catch a glimpse of him.
Slowly but surely, the crowd reached a state of ecstasy, and it was impressive to see how such a packed field didn’t stop moving to Skrillex’s beats for even a moment. The absolute highlight came at the end of his set, making it almost seem like it wasn’t Fred Again.., but Skrillex who was bringing Sziget’s six-day Main Stage party to a close. Lasers, fire, CO2, fireworks, and a jumping Skrillex: everything was pulled out of the bag to hype up the crowd even more.
Fred Again.. then took a much more measured approach, first sitting down at his piano where he sang and played (both on the piano and with his samples) to shape his first track. This tested the patience of his fans somewhat, but they undoubtedly understood that this was just the beginning.
It was wonderful to see how even Fred himself looked in awe at the screens around him, trying to see what was happening on the field in front of him. He later got a close-up view when, as is well known, the DJ loves to suddenly pop up in the middle of his crowd. He climbed a cherry picker in the middle of the field to turn it into a party right there as well.
We can only say that Fred Again.. more than lived up to the hype surrounding him. The crowd at the Main Stage had rarely been as frenzied as they were this week, with many people there who had bought a ticket just for him. The absolute climax came with a fireworks show that would make even Martin Garrix a little jealous, and with that, the main stage was abruptly done.
The rest of the night, the audience could keep partying in other areas. Four Tet took to the Revolut Stage and even managed to spin a set together with Skrillex. Meanwhile, Nico Moreno turned the Yettel Colosseum upside down with a rousing techno rave. At 5:00 AM, it was definitively over, as that was when Fideles (Bolt Party Arena) and SveTec (Colosseum) officially closed the festival.
Photos (c) Marjolein van Veldhuizen
