{"id":544,"date":"2024-06-18T15:22:37","date_gmt":"2024-06-18T15:22:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wetpainttools.com\/?p=544"},"modified":"2025-02-27T17:15:26","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T17:15:26","slug":"wehos-2024-outloud-music-festival-was-a-glimpse-into-the-future-of-pride-events","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/wetpainttools.com\/index.php\/2024\/06\/18\/wehos-2024-outloud-music-festival-was-a-glimpse-into-the-future-of-pride-events\/","title":{"rendered":"WeHo's 2024 OUTLOUD Music Festival Was a Glimpse Into the Future of Pride Events"},"content":{"rendered":"

From where I stood, the crowd gathered at West Hollywood Park resembled a gentle technicolor wave emerging from a horizon. I was a part of that crowd moments prior, riding the wave, merrily singing and dancing along to one of dance-pop’s most iconic artists.<\/p>\n

As I pulled myself away from that spirited crowd, I found myself under a multicolored tree. And it was there, beneath the twinkling lights, watching the audience so carefree and full of life, that I came to a humbling realization: it wasn’t that long ago that we as queer people were not allowed to celebrate in this fashion.<\/p>\n

When discussing the emergence of the gay rights movement, the Stonewall Riots of 1969<\/a> are considered to be the spark that lit the fuse. The series of demonstrations against the police raiding of a New York City gay bar were a direct response to the oppression\u00a0faced by\u00a0LGBT citizens at the time. The anniversary of the riots was marked by marches across major American cities, thus ushering in the modern-day gay pride parades.<\/p>\n

Half a century later, Pride events have transformed from political calls for action to utopias celebrating everything queer, from self-expression to sexual freedom. This transformation continues into the 2020s, as evidenced by the recent addition of multi-day music festivals centered around pride.<\/p>\n

“I think that it has been an evolution,” Jeff Consoletti, CEO and Founder of OUTLOUD Music Festival<\/a>, tells EDM.com<\/em>.\u00a0“You have to educate young people of where pride originated from, what Stonewall means, who these pioneers of LGBT history are, and why we have a Pride march.”<\/p>\n

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Cyndi Lauper performing at WeHo Pride 2024.<\/p>\n

Jon Viscott<\/a><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Consoletti created OUTLOUD in 2020 as an online platform for queer artists to showcase their talents during the COVID-19 pandemic. The project has now grown into a full-fledged music festival, partnering with the city of West Hollywood as its flagship WeHo Pride event.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“We want to be the epicenter of queer music, introducing rising artists with established acts that have a track record of servicing the LGBT community,” Consoletti explains. “It doesn’t necessarily mean that every artist on our bill has to be queer, as we gladly welcome allied artists that have been championing voices in our community for years.”<\/p>\n

As an independent producer, Consoletti emphasized the importance of embracing the diverse range of talented musicians found within queer spaces. And with electronic music having strong ties with the queer and Black communities, Consoletti knew he had to include dance music in the mix.<\/p>\n

“You can’t do any show these days without an electronic component,” Consoletti adds. “This was one of our biggest DJ-driven lineups we’ve ever put together.”<\/p>\n

“Big” was an understatement. Over a three-day period, West Hollywood Park transformed into a haven for dance music enthusiasts. Beginning on Friday night, audiences were transported to electro-nirvana by way of 2010’s dance party girl, Kesha<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Kesha performing at the 2024 OUTLOUD Music Festival.<\/em><\/p>\n

Steven On The Scene<\/a><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Things kicked into high gear on Saturday as Yaeji, Channel Tres, Purple Disco Machine and\u00a0EDM.com Class of 2022<\/a> alumni Kaleena Zanders<\/a>\u00a0energized crowds across both OUTLOUD’s mainstage and the Summertramp-hosted stage.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Come Sunday, spirits were high as the post-Pride parade crowds emerged from the street party on Santa Monica Boulevard and flooded into the festival grounds.<\/p>\n

On the mainstage, drag queen-turned-star DJ Trixie Mattel spun a mix of house music heaters, followed by Ashnikko and Big Freedia, who perfectly complimented each other with their dynamic performances.<\/p>\n

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Trixie Mattel performing at <\/em>the 2024 OUTLOUD Music Festival.<\/em><\/p>\n

Naz Massaro<\/a><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Over on the sweltering Summertramp stage, Kiesza<\/a> animated the dancefloor as she performed tracks off her latest album, Dancing and Crying: Vol. 1<\/a><\/em>. The Canadian electro-pop songstress, who recently emerged from a hiatus after a severe car accident, emphasized how her road to recovery inspired her latest project.<\/p>\n

“I sustained a brutal brain injury from a car crash in 2017,” Kiesza told us onsite at OUTLOUD. “I’ve turned a corner now where I’m going to be able to come back to the dance scene. I’ve been a dancer my whole life and having lost that side of myself was truly tragic.”<\/p>\n

Kiesza’s love for dance was most apparent in the timeless music video for her 2014 debut single, “Hideaway”. The video, which sees her dancing through the busy streets of New York, was shot in a single take and has amassed over half a billion views on YouTube.<\/p>\n