III Points Overcame the Rain on Its First Day

You know, in cities like London and San Francisco, where you get that kind of rain that isn't a full-blown torrential downpour but more like a constant mist? That's what Miami's weather was last night on the first day of III Points. Still, festivalgoers and the performers made the most of it. Some people wore ponchos or took cover, while others just decided rain be damned, nothing was going to stop them from having fun.

The first day also saw memorable performances across 12 — yes, 12 — stages that stretched from the Mana Wynwood compound to the RC Cola factory. Parliament-Funkadelic brought the noise and the funk to the Mind Melt stage, DJ Shadow honored Miami bass at Sector 3, DJ Koze had everyone dancing at 444, and Cloonee left the crowd wanting more.

Check out more highlights from the first day at III Points 2024 below.

George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic

The collective has weathered external forces like wars, pandemics, and recession for six decades; George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic sure weren't going to let some sprinkles get in their way last night. Parliament-Funkadelic, featuring a dozen new and old members, went on stage with brass instruments, guitars, drums, keyboards, and their vocal cords to let the good times flow. They played classics like "Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof Off the Sucker)" for an intense grove and also played some phenomenal covers. There was the P-Funk spin on Cyprus Hill's "Jump Around," for example. Parliament-Funkadelic sometimes played hard-rock guitar riffs with full-on guitar and drum solos before merging them in some grove-laden assembly. Toward the end, 83-year-old George Clinton played his song "Atomic Dog," which required a fair bit of barking from the crowd and group. It showed that some veteran members are still the same musicians howling at the moon all these years later. Grant Albert

Jungle

Jungle brought the groove to III Points right after George Clinton brought the funk. The British group had an earlier set time, but many were still in attendance, which was nothing short of spectacular. It was good vibes all around as people danced for an hour, especially to tracks like "I've Been in Love," which got an enthusiastic reaction from the crowd. Jungle also helped prove that they're a class act when they stopped the set to help make sure someone in the crowd could get medical attention. After that, they continued to move with the groove, with their background visuals being a palette of warm colors that set the tone just right. Being placed before Kaytranada was set to be performed may have also helped Jungle, as the similarities in crowds were quite transparent and helped set the mood for that set. Osvaldo Espino

DJ Shadow

When a musician takes to the mic, it can often be nonsense. But DJ Shadow spoke some of the wisest words: "Miami — where they invented the bass." The Californian bounced all over his 30-year discography. It seemed like no track lasted longer than a couple of minutes as he went from "Divine Intervention," "March of Death," and "Drone Warfare" in collaboration with Nas and Pharoahe Monch in rapid fire. As DJ Shadow would drop tracks, he would then scratch the records — adding that classic hip-hop DJ's touch over the original. Even when a lone synth rang out, he took the opportunity to use the crossfader and splice up the sound. There was also his upcoming single dubbed "You Played Me," a surprisingly breezy, fun track that he, again, scratched and manipulated before going towards some more drum 'n' bass selections. The beauty was DJ Shadow's simplicity. Sure, there were tons of visuals, but it was just him on stage, making quick use of idled hands. Grant Albert

Kaytranada

The obvious thing that needs to be said about Kaytranada's set is how the whole festival decided to show up to the Mind Melt stage as soon as he hopped onto it. Coming through Miami as part of his "Timeless" tour, which is in support of the album of the same name, with a massive, packed crowd in front of the stage, it's honestly surprising that there was still space to move and dance. This set also had some nice visuals that reflected the tracks, such as "4EVA," which showed the lyrics in bright, bold colors. Of course, popular tracks like "10%" and "You're the One" have stayed on the setlist even though they're much older. Kay would sometimes hop on the mic and say something about how he loves and appreciates the city or scream "Miami!" to hype up the audience. Compared to previous setlists, it seems that Miami got the same set everyone else across the country is getting, which is a bit of a shame since it feels like III Points has grown and evolved, Kay has, too, having played the festival since its early days back in 2015. Osvaldo Espino

Raekwon

Even with the rain pouring like crazy all over the Sector 3 stage, in true hip-hop fashion, Rae said screw it and performed anyway after being delayed for more than 20 minutes. Coming out to the Scarface theme, which transitioned into "Incarcerated Scarfaces," Rae reminded us that sometimes just spitting bars is the best type of hip-hop performance. Using a simple mic and DJ setup, Rae went through all the classics, such as solo hits "Ice Cream" and "Knowledge God," as well as Wu tracks like "Protect Ya Neck" and "Wu-Tang Clain Ain't Nuthin to Fuck Wit." He thanked those who decided to stand by Rae and watch him perform in such rainy, windy conditions. He also told the crowd about his love for Maimi, which is why he actually went over his time. Of course, the only way this show would end was with the crowd screaming, "Cash rules everything around me, cream! Dolla, dolla bill, y'all." Osvaldo Espino

HorsegiirL

Sorry, Mr. Ed and Seabiscuit. The world's current most famous equine is undoubtedly HorsegiirL. Everything about her feels like a gimmick: a DJ hiding their face from public view wearing a horse mask. However, a gimmick can only take you so far. What makes HorsegiirL so thrilling is she can easily lay down one of the most danceable sets of the evening. While her sound is firmly rooted in techno and rave, she blends elements of pop, R&B, hip-hop, baile funk, and trance into her sets. She started the night at the RC 95 stage with her most famous song, "My Barn My Rules," getting it out of the way before getting everyone hooked on every beat dripping out of the speakers. She mixed in recognizable songs like Usher's "Yeah," Tinashe's "Freaky," Charli XCX's "365" and "Club Classics," as well as dance floor classics like Darude's "Sandstorm" and Enur's "Calabria 2007." HorsegiirL took all these tracks and pushed them to their limits, giving them a techno overlay that just worked. Finally, she closed out her hour-long set with her own tracks, "Obsessed," "My Little White Pony," and "Eat, Sleep, Slay, Repeat" — the very epitome of horseplay. Jose D. Duran

ISOxo

As one-half of the most hyped duo in trap and bass music, ISOxo has built a reputation for having some of the craziest shows filled with mosh pits and jumping all around. Well, it seems like he lived up to the expectations. Pulling up to the RC 95 stage at 12:40, ISO started his set with a trap edit of "Overseas" by fellow master of rage, Ken Carson. From there on out, it was fucking nuts. ISO went all out playing remixes of tracks like Darude's "Sandstorm" and Zedd's "Clarity," but the true highlight was when he played "Smack Talk" off his collab album with Knock2, 4EVR. For 50 minutes straight, it was headbanging and moshing galore as ISO laid it all down with some of the hardest drops that Miami's ever heard. Many fans left with the biggest smiles on their face because that set was beyond incredible in terms of ISOxo bringing the sound and vibe the crowd wanted from him. Osvaldo Espino

DJ Koze

Germany's DJ Koze was the last of only three artists to close out the new 444 stage in the big, dark room that housed Despacio for the previous two years. The circular room inside Mana was indeed dark, with slow-changing and intimate lighting and a giant disco ball overhead. DJ Koze played melodic electronic tracks featuring slow banging bongos, lulling piano melodies, and luscious vocals. DJ Koze could have pianos and vocals over one another and then bring in a thick bassline that never felt forced and only re-energized the crowd. The lights went from a warm orange to a calming pink at a snail's pace. The languid BPM showed that 444 is not a race; a festival can showcase only three DJs per night while giving something thrilling to the audience. Grant Albert

Cloonee

After an incredible eight-hour set at Club Space only hours earlier in the morning, during which he was rewarded with the news that he had just made number one on Beatport, Cloonee closed out the Mind Melt main stage in grand fashion. Although he doesn't carry a crazy production, Cloonee managed to amass a crowd of thousands who sang and danced into the early morning. He went through all the bangers like his remix of "Turn Off the Lights," "Sippin' Yak," and "To the Beat." It was pretty clear that some of the crowd's favorites included remixes to Latin songs such as Daddy Yankee's "Lo Que Paso" and "No Pare Sigue Sigue." This set feels like the culmination of years of putting in work in Miami; Cloonee made his debut in the city only a handful of years ago but has created such a strong, dedicated fanbase here. This was evident thanks to all the Hellbent Records merch worn by people in the crowd. In the end, Cloonee closed with a remix of Rüfüs Du Sol's "Innerbloom" as the crowd chanted "otra, otra, otra" until he had to leave the stage. Afterward, he met with fans and took pictures before calling it a night. Osvaldo Espino