MusicChicago
ARC closes Labor Day weekend with Chicago house at its center
Derrick Carter and a Green Velvet–Josh Baker closing set anchored the final day at Union Park.
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ARC gave Labor Day one more dance floor. The festival's September 4–7 run at Union Park stretched across four days, ending Monday with a program that kept Chicago house prominent through the finish.
Derrick Carter held an afternoon slot, while Green Velvet and Josh Baker were paired for the closing stretch. The published schedule listed Carter from 4:15 to 5:30 p.m. and the back-to-back set from 8:30 to 10. Those bookings gave the last day a clear local connection, even within a festival built to draw an international dance-music audience.
Monday afternoon left room for people to dance, talk and gather around the booth beneath a huge animated backdrop. After dark, the production shifted to purple light and a sea of raised arms. The scale was festival-sized, but the action still revolved around the relationship between the decks and the people immediately in front of them.
The expanded weekend also brought a new stage, the Midway, alongside the Grid, Expansions and Area 909, according to We Rave You's festival report. More stages create more choices; the final day's Carter and Green Velvet bookings offered a reason to make Chicago artists a priority among them.
For a festival held in this city, that matters. The local connection should be something audiences can spend time with on the dance floor. Monday's bill made room for exactly that.