Dog Daze Music Festival returned with a bang, bringing along headliners such as The Chainsmokers, Iann Dior, San Pacho, P-Lo and more to Chukchansi Park in Downtown Fresno.
With three stages, each housing a different genre from hip-hop, EDM or Latin music, Dog Daze provided a diverse array of artists for attendees to choose from.
I was skeptical of the turnout at first, but once The Chainsmokers took the stage, I was genuinely impressed.
The Chainsmokers performed from 11:40 p.m. to approximately 1:15 a.m. and played a solid set to close out the festival. Roughly 20 minutes in, Drew Taggart, vocalist of the duo, praised the crowd as he was impressed by their enthusiasm.
“We’ve played a lot of places, but we’ve never been to Fresno,” Taggart said. “For serious though, you guys f-cking rock. This is making me feel amazing. We did a show earlier in Las Vegas that we do all the time. Respect to Vegas, but holy sh-t this is so much f-cking better.”
I will admit, I was one of those people who poked fun at The Chainsmokers for being “mainstream” and “outdated 2010s music.” But I did not count them out entirely, and surely enough, from start to finish, I danced and even sang along to a few songs.
What worked well for The Chainsmokers was mixing newer and more popular songs, outside the EDM genre, into danceable tracks. For example, the duo made songs like “Messy” by Lola Young and “In Da Club” by 50 Cent fun to dance to.
In addition, they played EDM classics like “Satisfaction” by Benny Benassi and “No Broke Boys” by Disco Lines featuring Tinashe, which is gaining popularity in the genre.
Playing these recognizable songs allowed people like me, who are largely unfamiliar with the duo’s discography, to feel included and have fun.
The Chainsmokers’ classics like “Roses” and “Closer” proved to hold up more than fine as everyone on the floor was moving and singing along.
I might be biased, as I do dabble in the EDM realm the most, but the Dog Daze main stage was my favorite. Anytime I was near that stage, I was moving as artists like Sommer Ray and San Pacho threw down.
The second stage I ventured to a handful of times was the Hyphy stage, which saw a good amount of foot traffic for artists like Sage the Gemini and P-Lo.
This stage was perfect for Dyllion Moua, a sports administration and marketing major at Fresno State. Moua came to the festival to see P-Lo as he considers himself an OG P-Lo fan, but was open-minded to others in the lineup.
“I know a few others on there, but I mean it’s cool to just bring everybody from all different genres,” Moua said. “It’s good because not everyone has the same taste. So it’s nice, you know, it brings everybody together.”
The Casamigos stage was the one I went to the least, as I was unfamiliar with most artists on the lineup, except for Hernan Gomez, who goes by the alias DJ Hern. A returning Dog Daze DJ, Gomez, praised its efforts to bring big-name headliners to the community.
“I think it’s dope because it’s definitely putting a spotlight on Fresno and lets people know that Fresno is a good market,” Gomez said. “We’re getting a lot of people out here, so I think the vibes are amazing. A lot of people are happy. I can see them having a good time. So I’m really excited to be here.”
The first Dog Daze last spring was heavily marketed toward Fresno State students and was held at the Save Mart Center near campus.
Fabian Ornelas, a media, communications and journalism major, attended both Dog Daze events and spoke about the differences between venues and lineups.
He said Chukchansi is more spacious than the Save Mart Center, giving people a lot of room to spread out, explore and sit. However, once the festival ended, he said the Save Mart Center provided a safer environment for students and others in attendance as opposed to Chukchansi, which is more open to the public.
Ornelas, who saw The Chainsmokers play at Electric Daisy Carnival, said the duo is cool but a more current popular headliner would have been better.
“I’m having a really good time right now, but an improvement can be to get some more current headliners,” Ornelas said. “The Chainsmokers are cool, but I would love someone like Chris Lake. Chris Lake, I promise you would sell this place out because he’s actually popular right now.”
Despite these factors, Ornelas said Dog Daze is a necessity in Fresno.
“I think it’s needed because all the other big universities have their own festivals,” Ornelas said. “The University of San Diego has their own festival. So does UCLA. So now with Dog Daze, we’re establishing ourselves at the pace we want to be at.”
What did not change about Dog Daze was its commitment to save space for local artists like Gomez and Manuel Rosales, a Fresno State alumnus and DJ, who goes by the name, Skate Mesa.
Rosales performed at both Dog Daze events and welcomed the changes this time around, especially the venue.
“I really like it outdoors because it’s a lot more refreshing,” Rosales said. “It’s really nostalgic too. Growing up in Fresno, I’ve come here as a kid, so it feels really cool being able to play here now.”
After his set on the Casamigos Stage, Rosales was excited to see The Chainsmokers, as the duo is also very nostalgic for him.
In addition to just musical guests, Dog Daze hosted local businesses like Hole in the Wall Tattoo Studio. This time, the studio set up a Dog Daze backdrop for attendees to spray paint on, giving them a fun hands-on experience to enjoy.
Owner of the studio, Jeremy Looney, said Hole in the Wall returned to Dog Daze because it’s been a good place to showcase the studio’s work and meet new people.
“I think it’s important for local businesses to promote themselves and to meet people from the public because these are people in your own town,” Looney said. “So it’s good to shake hands with the people that are your neighbors.”
This being my first Dog Daze, I would give it an 8/10. I loved the Dog Daze stage so much that it left me wanting more EDM shows in Fresno, and I appreciate having a variety of genres to dig into at the other stages.
However, I think more art installations or experiences, like the Hole in the Wall Tattoo Studio setup, would elevate Dog Daze as it gives attendees more to do than just listen to the music, dance and eat.
