The Best Moments of III Points 2016 (Photos)
Written and photographed by Mandi Nulph and Roly Jimenez
Another year, and another III Points is in the books. Between Zika threats and a hurricane, it seemed like the odds were against this little festival in the heart of Miami. After a few unfortunate cancellations (headliner LCD Soundsystem and rapper Earl Sweatshirt unfortunately ended up unable to make it), the skies cleared and the show most definitely went on!
Here are some of the best things we saw at III Points this year (and check out our full gallery of images at the bottom)!
Method Man & Redman Burn One Down (Really!): Method Man and Redman have hit the festival circuit hard this year (we also had the opportunity to watch them tear it up at Riot Fest in Chicago). The energy they bring to their sets is indescribable, and they ask that you return the favor. After all, you need two things for a Method Man and Redman set: 1) energy, and 2) good weed. They brought both! After slaying the stage, Redman bounded back out on stage and then lit and passed the biggest blunt I have ever seen into the eager crowd. In true family fashion, it was happily passed around. Now THAT’S how you end a show on a Saturday night!
The Emotion of M83: One of the other headliners this weekend who was able to make it was the French electronic band M83. Fronted by Anthony Gonzalez, this outfit has been around for over 15 years. With hits like “Reunion,” “We Own the Sky” and their newest tune “Do It, Try It,” it’s hard not to have heard their music before, and we got all the hits and more on Sunday night. Between the raw emotion coming off the stage to the lights and the energy radiating through the crowd, it was a emotional scene. It was impossible not to dance and take in how wonderful that Miami moment was.
Taking Off with Flight Facilities: One of the more anticipated sets of the weekend was from Australian duo Flight Facilities. It was our first time checking them out, and they certainly did not disappoint. Backed (or fronted) by some killer vocalists, they also blasted the crowd with an outrageous amount of confetti and had everyone holding their phones and lighters up so that we could light up the stage (and I don’t care who you are, when everyone holds up their phones and lighters, it’s really freakin cool).
Trick Daddy Was in Da House: Remember how I said that Earl Sweatshirt had to cancel? Well, III Points didn’t let that prime slot go to waste. The one and only Trick Daddy Dollars came to pay us a visit! The Miami mayor went through his extensive catalog and showed out-of-towners the art of stickin‘ and rollin’ At one point in the set, he offered two ladies who were strangers $100 a piece to make out on stage. Those present got to see if they took him up on that offer, but this is Miami, after all.
Flying Curry: Shortly after one of the weekend’s hippest mosh pits at Denzel Curry’s set, Flying Lotus blew the audience away as he took us on a musical journey with accompanying visuals. Mid-set, FlyLo got on the microphone and talked about how great Denzel Curry’s set was before inviting the South Florida rapper on stage. After some banter between the two, FlyLo drops araabMUZIK’s “Outer Limits” for Denzel Curry to freestyle on.
Tea Tasting In A Cargo Container: Michael Ortiz, co-founder of local tea company Jojo Tea, genuinely loves tea. He’s spent a lot of time traveling the world learning how other cultures make theirs and applied these methods to his own company. He brought this knowledge to III Points with tea tastings taking place every half hour in a cargo container. The container was an intimate setting and helped festivalgoers to escape the madness for a little while. Lit with only Christmas lights and candles, five people at a time were invited to sit around a small table as Michael walked you through the process and had you try Jojo’s black tea. We were even told that we could keep the tasting glasses. For those interested in diving even further into the tea culture, Jojo Tea recently opened a tea-tasting room in Miami at 951 S. LeJeune Rd. in Coral Gables.
Booty Bass Bounce House x Freeze Dance Party: Our favorite III Points activation had to be the third annual Booty Bass Bounce House presented by Otto Von Schirach & Mokibaby. The free event once again took place at Kryogenefix HQ with Miami’s favorite bearded drag queen Juliesy returning to host, complete with free beer/pizza along with performances by local artists Otto Von Schirach, Niko Javan & Basside. The highlight of the event was the papaya-eating contest where contestants were told to eat a papaya off a partner in the dirtiest way possible for free tickets to III points. The anti-climatic result of the contest was when the crowd cheered for a young boy to win leaving the contestants filthy and empty-handed yet full of carotenes, vitamin C and flavonoids.
Local Flavor: One of the staples of III Points is that it is a Miami festival, this means that you get all the best that it has to offer in terms of local talent and food. They do a wonderful job of infusing local flavor into an event that draws national attention. Local artists like those mentioned above, along with genre-spanning favorites like Poorgrrrl, Bedside, Deaf Poets, Problem Kids, Sean Bang and many, MANY others.
You also can’t go wrong with the food! Coyo Tacos, Box of Chacos, Panter Coffee, Cake, La Latina, Harry’s, and anything else you could want. The even had Porn Nails out doing nails (and, well, playing porn…) in their van, as well as American Crew Barber out cutting hair. What else could you want?
Art. Duh: What would III Points (and the neighborhood of Wynwood) be without art? It’s literally everywhere you look, and as usual, there was plenty of it. Transitional pieces played on the stages between sets, and many interactive pieces guided you around Mana Wynwood from one section to the next. From the huge pink bus by Brian Bulter to the symbolism created for the Isotropic stage by Maggie Knox. There was no shortage of cool things to look at in between all the great things to hear. And all you would need to do is walk outside the gates and be engulfed by the iconic street art found on almost every building throughout Wynwood. There really is no better place to merge all of the best things Miami has to offer than at III Points.
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