John Summit 2026 Experts Only Festival review and…
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New York is so back.
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 where 30,000 rabid dance music followers braved the rain to get down.
The metropolis’s one-and-only EDM competition is put 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 identify with his self-curated two-day fest, made sure 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 back to the Big Apple as half of his CTRL Escape Tour on Nov. 28 at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center), and, after last yr’s smashing success, expectations had been sky high. Not just for the music, but for a smoother expertise from delivering food and drinks to security, staging and every little thing in between. And John, with his natural business savvy, he made loads sure he didn’t skimp on the advertising and marketing facet either.
In the week main up to the show, he despatched followers on a scavenger hunt through Wall Street, where 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, where 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 group: 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 amassing content before leaping in a car back to the membership.
Experts Only is the type of competition that attracts an eclectic hodgepodge and deftly will get everybody on the same wavelength via a soundtrack that invigorates, surprises and delights.
John blew up on Spotify in 2020, but before climbing the charts, the Chicago-native was pounding out units at his school frat events (Delta Tau Delta, to be precise). And yes — the accountant-to-DJ trajectory does really feel like the last word company escape fantasy — and perhaps that’s why it’s so straightforward to adore him.
His success story also helps clarify Experts Only’s large draw. We managed to dodge the countless entrance queue, which TikTokers dubbed an “actual pilgrimage” with wait instances nearing an hour. And upon coming 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 listing, so a joint set is an final win, but the power still wasn’t fairly where it needed 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 seller strains transfer surprisingly fast — so this half isn’t troublesome. Not long after sipping our liquid fuel 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 group with his signature “New York, how the f*** we feeling, baby?” The power sparked immediately. Suddenly, it was loud, heat and just a little goofy; Summit has a present for deploying his boyish appeal and taking everybody out of their busy heads.
Opening with his “DON’T BELIEVE IT” remix (pattern lyrics: “I get so excited, I, I just can’t deny it”) felt like an apparent but crucial alternative. The bass hit like a jolt of thunder, choosing everybody up, electrifying them 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 back to school events you still can’t get out of your head: when everybody was truly dancing — a momentary glimpse of youth.
Chiara Brinkmann
Summit smiles, gleams, pumps his fists, performs to the group and put merely, seems 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 ground in the VIP backstage part soon after. Tickets right here run over $800, while tables with bottle service start around $5,000, granting an expansive, elevated view of the chaos and an optimum view of John — skimpily-dressed dancers contorting themselves into seemingly inconceivable positions beside him.
There is a trade-off: once you’ve skilled it from this POV, you’ll never need to go back to GA.
By the time his combine of Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi” drops, everybody around us is spinning and singing, and even I’m beginning to contemplate 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, really.
Miska Salemann
Despite enjoying a marathon 2.5-hour prolonged set, the clock flies by, and soon enough, the chills-inducing “Go Back” remix with Julia Church comes on; spooky, attractive, tension-building and releasing all at once. And our cue, sadly, that the evening is sort of 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 long, but our on-the-ground reporter told me she’s still recovering, in the best approach doable.
Watching the Experts Only crowd that evening, it hit me that New York nightlife is just not lifeless, but alive and thriving — if you already know where to look. Sure, the hour-long ferry and brutal strains had been a lot, but seeing New Yorkers truly transfer like this again made all that logistical fluff utterly well worth the squeeze.
New York is back, child. Experts Only though, of course.
Final verdict: I’d argue John Summit is precisely what the industry wants: somebody who merely loves making music, is aware of how to entertain and put on an honest-to-goodness barnburner of a show. And that, alone, is cause enough to go for another spherical.
Chiara Brinkmann
Where is John Summit going on tour in 2026?
A whole calendar including all North American tour dates, venues and hyperlinks to buy 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 performing at the Experts Only Fest at the Gorge?
Quite a few big names.
Summit will probably 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 grab 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 file, which is an unofficial assertion about “breaking out of the matrix that is the corporate life” captures the power of disconnecting and dwelling without inhibitions.
This is never more plainly apparent than with the first monitor, “STATUS:AWAY,” where ringing telephones and clacking typewriters disappear as the beat drops and the bass line crystallizes into one thing meant to shut 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 can have you leaping before you already know it.
For our money, the true standout though is the cathartic finale “CYANIDE.” Disregard the grim title and just hear, this one seems like what discovering interior peace looks like. The excellent capper to an exhilarating curler coaster experience.
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 exhibits all yr long?
We’re in the same boat, bassheads and ravers.
To make sure you’re in the loop, listed below are just 5 big time party-starters that you gained’t need to miss when they swing 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 level 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 need 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 from your favourite musical artists and comedians, as effectively as Broadway openings, sporting occasions and more live exhibits – and finds great ticket costs online. 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 identify a few. Please be aware that offers can expire, and all costs are subject to change.
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