HARD Red Rocks Was A Night For The Books As Destructo Leaves HARD Marking The End Of An Era

My heart was broken today when I read that Gary Richards, aka Destructo, would no longer be a part of HARD or Holy Ship. As previously being ShipFam myself, I felt the end of the era of Destructo sunrise sermons, and was glad I made it to HARD Red Rocks this past weekend.

Red Rocks has been named time and time again the best outdoor venue in the US, so ShipFam from across the country flocked the mile high city for a night of their favorite EDM acts.

HARD Red Rocks Was A Night For The EDM Books

When I arrived, Wax Motif was pumping up the crowd, despite raging winds and dark clouds ripping through the mountains.

AC Slater played next and all the Night Bass fans emerged. Deep bass lines echoed with perfect acoustics through the rocks. Shufflers showed off their best skills and a diverse crowd of all ages in their best rave wear got their groove on.

Destructo played as the sun set behind the mountains. The wind started to calm down giving us a beautiful Colorado summer night. He mixed my favorite track “Dare Ya To Move” and the crowd (including myself) went wild. Little did we know, this would be one of his last shows as the HARD curator.

Following Destructo was the OG DJ Mustard. DJ Mustard dropped all the hottest tracks in hip-hop with that dance style flavor we love.

Dillon Francis closed out the night with a raging party. You could see his white dad hat bouncing up and down through the lasers. IDGAFOS fans were out and there were even Gerald signs.

 
photo credit: @jessewoodco

Destructo Went HARD For 10 Years

HARD began as a concert production brand created by Gary Richards back in 2007. Gary curated hundreds of HARD events, the most notable being the EDM rave cruise Holy Ship and the LA festival HARD Summer. Five years ago, HARD was bought by LiveNation and Gary’s role became a curator position.

Since LiveNation took over, the money backing HARD events obviously went up leading to better production, better line ups, and even better experiences.

 But here is what Gary had to say to his fans: 

photo credit: @jessewoodco

The Uproar By The EDM Community 

After a decade or music, HARD is more than a concert brand or music festival series. It is a family. It is undeniable that Destructo leaving has caused an uproar. Holy Ship attendees are demanding their money back and firing shots left and right at LiveNation.

Boyz Noise even started a petition you can sign below.   

No Gary, No Ship #shipfam https://t.co/cS3MIKPhhk

— Boys Noize (@boysnoize) August 2, 2017

 Skrillex credits Destructor for being the reason he ever played Holy Ship. 

No way would I have ever done @HOLY_SHIP if it wasn't for @DestructoHARD ...almost positive I can speak for most of the artists

— SKRILLEX (@Skrillex) August 2, 2017

Here is what Holy Ship had to say to try to ease the angry fans.

Despite the news, I am sure Holy Ship will have an amazing line up as usual, but without Destructo, it certainly marks the end of an era.

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