Exclusive Countdown 2023 New Years Eve Sets: Hear Nero, Maddy O’Neil & What Porter Robinson Played at Midnight
This past New Year’s Eve (Dec. 30-31) hordes of dance fans descended on the NOS Events Center in San Bernardino, Calif., for two days of traditional year-end partying. Highlights from the Insomniac Events-produced festival included Porter Robinson playing as the clocked ticked to 2024, a DJ set from British legends Nero, a space bass frenzy from Maddy O’Neal and much more.
If your 2024 resolution is to listen to more music, dive in with these seven hours of exclusive Countdown 2023 sets.
Porter Robinson
The fan favorite was playing the festival’s mainstage during the 2023 to 2024 changeover. Hear him do a countdown starting at the 29-minute mark and playing his 2012 classic “Language” when the clock strikes midnight, ramping the song up to a place of frenzied, exuberant celebration before mashing it up with his more recent “Look At The Sky” then announcing “f–k it, it’s time to party” and pressing play on an edit of the Venga Boys’ “We Like to Party.”
Nero
Playing a DJ set the first night of the fest, Nero launched their set with their RL Grime collab “Renegade” and didn’t take their foot of the gas for 75 minutes, playing a pummeling set that included their own “Doomsday,” “Blame You” and all-time classic “Promises.”
Maddy O’Neil
Bass boss Maddy O’Neal took the audience to space and back with super low-end sounds that included a saxophone inflected take on Aaliyah’s “Are You That Somebody” and an extremely thick edit of “The Next Episode.”
Memba
“We came all the way from Brooklyn, New York to party with you guys, are you guys ready to do this?” the duo asked at the beginning of their set to an audience that clearly was, with the crowd audibly going wild for music including between dubstep, garage and beyond.
Juuku
Township Rebellion
German duo Township Rebellion took the crowd directly to melodic techno deep space with a lush, tough 90-minute set that remains captivating and thoroughly cool throughout.
Katie Bain
Billboard