John Summit 2026 Experts Only Festival review and observations…
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New York is so again.
Every week after a slew of to-see-and-be-seen Fashion Week events, the main event, the Experts Only Festival, landed in New York City and plopped onto Randall’s Island the place 30,000 rabid dance music followers braved the rain to get down.
The metropolis’s one-and-only EDM competition is placed on by John Summit, the 32-year-old CPA-turned-DJ who has utterly overtaken the dance music scene. Summit’s label, Experts Only, which shares a reputation along with his self-curated two-day fest, made certain he went all out too, stacking his 2026 lineup with big names Adam Ten, Max Styler and dubstep legend Subtronics.
This weekend extravaganza was Summit’s second run at bringing EO to the island (he’s also coming again to the Big Apple as a part of his CTRL Escape Tour on Nov. 28 at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center), and, after last 12 months’s smashing success, expectations had been sky high. Not just for the music, however for a smoother experience from delivering meals and drinks to safety, staging and all the things in between. And John, along with his pure enterprise savvy, he made loads certain he didn’t skimp on the advertising and marketing aspect both.
In the week main as much as the present, he despatched followers on a scavenger hunt by Wall Street, the place they had been led to a faux newsstand promoting a mock newspaper, “The Summit Street Journal.” And, on the eve of the fest, he threw a pre-party at the New York Stock Exchange, the place a menagerie of finance bros dressed as themselves and some 200 fortunate attendees fled work early for a rave my good friend expertly described as “completely insane” that got here with an open bar and sushi rolls.
For the precise fest, we landed on Randall’s Island in the early afternoon, alongside a wild cross-section of the crowd: die-hard, glow-stick-waving ravers, those who regarded like they had been still stranded at Burning Man and a handful of performative house-music-lovers accumulating content before leaping in a automobile again to the club.
Experts Only is the type of competition that attracts an eclectic hodgepodge and deftly will get everybody on the same wavelength through a soundtrack that invigorates, surprises and delights.
John blew up on Spotify in 2020, however before climbing the charts, the Chicago-native was pounding out units at his faculty frat events (Delta Tau Delta, to be actual). And sure — the accountant-to-DJ trajectory does really feel like the final company escape fantasy — and possibly that’s why it’s really easy to adore him.
His homespun success story also helps clarify Experts Only’s huge draw. We managed to dodge the infinite entrance queue, which TikTokers dubbed an “actual pilgrimage” with wait instances nearing an hour. And upon getting into, we handed by the “Pwemium” Lounge, a tongue-in-cheek nod to John’s meme-ified lisp.
We had timed our entry completely for the Adam Ten B2B Max Styler set.
Both artists had been at the top of my checklist, so a joint set is an final win, however the power still wasn’t fairly the place it wanted to be. The crowd was still filling in and warming up; chatting, grooving, maybe bracing themselves before John’s promise to blow the roof off at 7:30 PM.
Chiara Brinkmann
Our crew determined to catch a breather between Maccabi House remixes and duck out for a fast drink run.
Ghost Energy and Don Julio tequila are official fest companions, and the vendor strains transfer surprisingly fast — so this half isn’t troublesome. Not lengthy after sipping our liquid gasoline and taking in the forged of characters dancing atop tables, the clock crept up on us. Right on cue, John, ever the businessman, took the stage.
His entrance was grand, certainly: pops of smoke evaporating, strobe lights slicing the air and he welcomed the crowd along with his signature “New York, how the f*** we feeling, baby?” The power sparked instantly. Suddenly, it was loud, heat and just just a little goofy; Summit has a present for deploying his boyish appeal and taking everybody out of their busy heads.
Opening along with his “DON’T BELIEVE IT” remix (pattern lyrics: “I get so excited, I, I just can’t deny it”) felt like an apparent however essential selection. The bass hit like a jolt of thunder, selecting everybody up, electrifying them right into a downright giddy temper. Fitting for an overcast day and early-evening set time. The crowd had been snapped awake.
Summit’s set took us again to school events you still can’t get out of your head: when everybody was really dancing — a momentary glimpse of youth.
Chiara Brinkmann
Summit smiles, gleams, pumps his fists, performs to the crowd and put merely, appears like he’s having the time of his younger life. He goes hit after hit: “Lights Go Out,” “In Chicago,” a Pitbull remix of “Hey Baby,” Britney Spears’ “I Wanna Go.” Party anthems paired with emotionally-wrecking lyrics. A supremely euphoric mixture.
Our posse catches some floor in the VIP backstage part soon after. Tickets right here run over $800, while tables with bottle service start round $5,000, granting an expansive, elevated view of the chaos and an optimum view of John — skimpily-dressed dancers contorting themselves into seemingly not possible positions beside him.
There is a trade-off: when you’ve skilled it from this POV, you’ll never wish to return to GA.
By the time his mixture of Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi” drops, everybody round us is spinning and singing, and even I’m beginning to take into account myself a fangirl (of which there are many). Out in the sea of our bodies, we spot his face on chests and “Hot Girls Love John Summit” tees. It’s a devoted military, actually.
Miska Salemann
Despite playing a marathon 2.5-hour prolonged set, the clock flies by, and soon sufficient, the chills-inducing “Go Back” remix with Julia Church comes on; spooky, attractive, tension-building and releasing . And our cue, sadly, that the night time is nearly over.
Of course, the real finale would come hours later at Brooklyn’s Pacha for Summit’s promised afterparty. I didn’t have it in me to last that lengthy, however our on-the-ground reporter told me she’s still recovering, in the best method potential.
Watching the Experts Only crowd that night time, it hit me that New York nightlife is just not lifeless, however alive and thriving — if the place to look. Sure, the hour-long ferry and brutal strains had been so much, however seeing New Yorkers really transfer like this again made all that logistical fluff utterly value the squeeze.
New York is again, child. Experts Only though, in fact.
Final verdict: I’d argue John Summit is precisely what the trade wants: somebody who merely loves making music, is aware of find out how to entertain and placed on an honest-to-goodness barnburner of a present. And that, alone, is purpose sufficient to go for another round.
Chiara Brinkman
Where is John Summit happening tour in 2026?
An entire calendar including all North American tour dates, venues and hyperlinks to purchase tickets could be discovered below.
John Summit tour datesSept. 26 at LIV Beach in Las Vegas, NVOct. 1 at State Farm Center in Champaign, ILOct. 2 at the Gorge Amphitheater in George, WA
Friday Experts Only pre-partyOct. 3-4 at the Experts Only Festival in George, WA
Two-day passesOct. 3 at the Experts Only Festival in George, WA
Single-day passesOct. 4 at the Experts Only Festival in George, WA
Single-day passesOct. 23 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, QC, CAOct. 24 at the TD Coliseum in Hamilton, ON, CAOct. 25 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, ON, CAOct. 29 at TD Garden in Boston, MAOct. 30 at the Bryce Jordan Center in University Park, PAOct. 31 at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.Nov. 5 at the Toyota Center in Houston, TXNov. 6 at the Moody Center in Austin, TXNov. 7 at the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, TXNov. 8 at the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, TXNov. 13 at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, OHNov. 14 at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NCNov. 15 at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, GANov. 20 at the Kaseya Center in Miami, FLNov. 21 at the Kaseya Center in Miami, FLNov. 24 at the United Center in Chicago, ILNov. 25 at the United Center in Chicago, ILNov. 27 at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, PANov. 28 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NYDec. 4 at the Oakland Arena in Oakland, CADec. 5 at the Oakland Arena in Oakland, CADec. 12 at the LA Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA
Who is acting at the Experts Only Fest at the Gorge?
Quite a few big names.
Summit will likely be joined by big names like Cassian, Daniel Allan, Devault, Hamdi and Jackie Hollander among others in Gorge on Oct. 3-4.
Want to go? You can seize single or multi-day Experts Only competition passes right here.
Chiara Brinkmann
John Summit new music
On April 15, John Summit launched his second studio album “CTRL ESCAPE.”
The document, which is an unofficial assertion about “breaking out of the matrix that is the corporate life” captures the power of disconnecting and residing without inhibitions.
This is never more plainly apparent than with the first observe, “STATUS:AWAY,” the place ringing telephones and clacking typewriters disappear as the beat drops and the bass line crystallizes into one thing supposed to close your mind off and just dance. Sublime.
Other highlights right here embrace the invigorating bop “SHADES OF BLUE,” triumphant fist-pumper “SATA,” trippy, jittery “WITH ME,” shimmery disco-esque jam “DON’T BELIEVE IT” and glitchy rump shaker “LIGHTS GO OUT” that could have you leaping before it.
For our cash, the true standout though is the cathartic finale “CYANIDE.” Disregard the bleak title and just hear, this one appears like what discovering interior peace looks like. The good capper to an exhilarating curler coaster journey.
To hear for your self, you will discover “CTRL ESCAPE” right here.
Chiara Brinkmann
Huge EDM artists on tour in 2026
Hoping to bliss out at reveals all 12 months lengthy?
We’re in the same boat, bassheads and ravers.
To ensure you’re in the loop, listed below are just 5 big time party-starters that you gained’t wish to miss after they swing right into a venue close to you these next few months.
• Zeds Dead
• Dom Dolla
• Tinlicker
• Black Coffee
• Fisher
Plus, we’d be completely remiss if we didn’t point out that Stevie Wonder is embarking on a nationwide tour celebrating his 1976 album “Songs In The Key Of Life” this fall. If you’re a fan of music, you gained’t wish to miss him live.
This article was written by Matt Levy, New York Post live occasions reporter. Levy stays up-to-date on all the latest tour bulletins out of your favourite musical artists and comedians, in addition to Broadway openings, sporting occasions and more live reveals – and finds nice ticket costs on-line. Since he began his tenure at the Post in 2022, Levy has reviewed a Bruce Springsteen live performance and interviewed Melissa Villaseñor of SNL fame, to call a few. Please observe that offers can expire, and all costs are topic to vary.
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