Seattle’s Higher Ground was a raving good time (DMNW Review)

On Sunday, August 15, we walked into Seattle’s Fisher Pavilion with open arms and smiling faces for Donnie Disco and Upper Left’s Higher Ground. It was a sunny day and we were presented with a whammy of a lineup full of house music regulars. For those lucky enough to attend, the event was filled to the brim with ravers from all over the Pacific Northwest, ready to dance the day away.

Our crew were among some of the first people to arrive. A decked-out stage with raging music and the Seattle Space Needle in the background makes for one fabulous day. It was nice to spread out and take in the amazing venue. Subset was just wrapping up his set and rising artist LP Giobbi was hitting the decks next. The crowd was already full of excitement as swarms of people continued to arrive in larger lines.

All seemed to be flowing well and the organization of the event was stellar. Care Collective was onsite taking care of patrons and providing essential services, while local food trucks kept the group well fed. Free water stations on this warm day helped ensure everyone was appropriately hydrated.

The music

LP Giobbi’s set was nothing short of high energy; her song, Move Your Body, did just that. We moved and grooved well into LA-based VNSSA‘s rocking house tunes, followed by a heart-pounding set from Walker & Royce. By early evening we were definitely feeling the post-covid-need-more-cardio pain in our legs but no slowing down.

The sun was slowly setting as Dom Dolla took the stage and wowed us all with his hits like San Frandisco and Take It. The crowd seemed to have grown tenfold. We hadn’t seen this many people in so long; it was pure joy to feel the good vibes again.

Dom Dolla was certainly one of our favorite sets of the day, with the Australian DJ bringing the heat to Seattle. As we approached closing out the day, headliner Diplo arrived to roars of excitement. His latest track with Sidepiece called On My Mind was truly the hit of the day, along with a remix of local-legend Macklemore’s Can’t Hold Us. There was never a time where the crowd wasn’t grooving.

Between fantastic music, great weather, and the perfect city background, we can’t say enough great things about Higher Ground. Donnie Disco and Upper Left make for an excellent production pairing, delivering a fantastic end to a weekend in a very long year!