Moby's high-energy DJ set was only part of the attraction Saturday for those who wanted to party at the Carl Cox stage. (Christina Mendenhall / rhythmscene.com)

Saturday was the halfway point of the 13th annual ULTRA Music Festival. The attendance was relatively light until the late afternoon/early evening hours which probably meant that everyone was beat from Friday’s action-packed kickoff.

We started out in the Carl Cox tent and rockin’, screamin’ DJ Steve Aoki was on stage doing what he does best. People underneath the tent were packed like sardines and there were even more people spilling out into the Heineken station just to get a piece of the action. Anyone that couldn’t catch Steve’s performance missed out on a lot of banshee-like screaming coming through the constant wafting smoke from the stage. It was intense to say the least!

The Dutch powerhouse Afrojack (also known as Nick van de Wall) took over the reins from Aoki on the Carl Cox Stage. He came out to a mess of people chanting his handle. Before he started his set he told everyone that he was going to kick off with a track that no one had ever heard before. Unfortunately, he didn’t say what the name of it was!

Nevertheless it got everyone pumped and ready for the next song, which most everyone knew the lyrics to, called “Take Control”. He would mute his track during the chorus line and let the crowd sing it for him which they definitely got a kick out of. Afrojack had great energy during his two hour set and would always sing along with whatever track he was playing. After his set on the Carl Cox stage he went over to the Main Stage at 5:10 to give his fans some more. I have to admit that I wasn’t a big fan before but after seeing him live he has got me looking him up on iTunes.

More: Day 1: Miami takes on a sense of sensory overload | Day 3: Miami’s big party goes longer than ever, doesn’t skip a beat | Ultra photos: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Visit this writer’s website

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CSS' lead singer, Love Foxxx, entertains the Ultra crowd in Miami (Christina Mendenhall / rhythmscene.com)

Friday was the first day of Ultra, the sold-out, larger-than-life electronic music event in Miami and if I had to summarize the day in one word it would be ‘WOW’! There were die-hard fans from every age group and every walk of life known to man and a good number of them were dressed in some sort of attention-getting, neon-colored apparel or costume that looked like they had probably worn it on a past Halloween.

The festival started out with a palpable excitement and energy which only continued to grow as the day and evening went on. Fedde Le Grand was one of the first artists of the evening on the main stage. He had the crowd eating out of the palm of his hand. They were excited about his beats and he kept them coming! Benny Benassi took the main stage after Fedde’s set and the fans were so excited from anticipation that before Benny actually got on stage they were chanting his name as if begging him to come out. Benny had his fist pumping and a huge cheerful smile on his face the whole time he was performing for the crowd. You can tell that he really loves what he does and he loves the fans. And as any good fans would do, they reciprocated with their excitement for him and his high energy set. People were actually dancing and raving so hard and intensely I was actually scared that they might injure themselves!

More: Day 2: Carl Cox’s high-energy tent the place to be | Day 3: Miami’s big party goes longer than ever, doesn’t skip a beat | Ultra photos: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Visit this writer’s website

There are eight stages in all this year at Ultra so one could never complain of idle time or boredom. If you want action packed, look no further! In the Carl Cox tent the DJ station is set up to resemble the Gravitron. You know, that intense carnival ride that tries to pull your guts through your back? Well they couldn’t have picked a better stage set up because that’s pretty much what the scene felt like. So surreal and intense and exciting that couldn’t quite keep your wits about you.

Probably one of the most lively and entertaining acts of the evening was Brazilian electro rock band CSS. They played on the Live Stage and gathered a very respectable sized crowd. The lead singer, Love Foxxx (a.k.a. Luisa Matsushita) was like a little Jack –in – the – Box. Once she got wound up and ready to perform she was unpredictable and exciting. She even jumped the stage barrier twice to mingle and interact with the crowd. And that was before she tore off her pants! The metallic gold confetti stars that she threw out during the performance were also an additional source of crowd excitement.

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Barry Manilow performs at the BankAtlantic Center on Jan. 28. (Christina Mendenhall / rhythmscene.com)

UPDATE: Corrected/clarified information about Manilow and Nicks.

Photos: Barry Manilow at BankAtlantic Center | Visit this writer’s website

So, I think it’s pretty safe to say that we have all heard the saying ‘climbing the corporate ladder’. That doesn’t just apply to normal, average, every day people. At one point in time some of the most famous, critically praised and fan-adored musicians were at the bottom of that allegorical ladder looking up.

Of course we don’t usually think about this when we are racked with excitement and standing among thousands of mutual fans in a packed-to-the-gills stadium concert we are about to enjoy by one of these talented artists. The iconic Barry Manilow was in town Jan. 28-29 with performances in Sunrise and Coral Gables. I’m sure that most of his fans weren’t sitting at the BankAtlantic Center thinking “Wow, has Barry come a long way!?”

In fact, Barry Manilow started out in the New York CBS mailroom. He then worked his way up to doing some musical arranging for CBS TV, wrote several popular product jingles for television commercials and then was commissioned by Bette Midler to be her pianist and musical director. He went from ‘Sold Out’ tours with Bette to working with Tony Orlando on his first demo tape. It’s 40 years later and he still packing stadiums!

If you missed Barry this weekend, there are some other huge acts coming to town soon that have an interesting story that you might want to check out. Rod Stewart and Stevie Nicks will be co-headlining the ‘Heart and Soul Tour’ kicking off on March 20, also at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise.
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