HARD Summer finally happened Saturday, August 7th in L.A.'s State Historic Park.  After the HARD LA date on July 17th was cancelled, many disappointed fans had to wait to get their HARD fix, and they had to be content with a new lineup of headliners.  Official reasons for the cancellation and rescheduling are unknown, but some suspect that it was partly due to poor ticket sales and LA County's recent establishment of a rave safety task force in response to the most recent Electric Daisy Carnival, where many were hospitalized and one fifteen year old girl died.  HARD LA's promoter, Gary Richards, a.k.a. Destructo, spoke to the L.A. Times saying, "We do not allow raves.  Raves have a stigma attached to them."  The definition of ‘rave' is, of course, totally unclear, and even at this concert, the onstage LED screen at a certain time asked, "Is this a rave?"

Thousands came out to Governors Island (QRO venue review) for HARD NYC, an eight-hour festival showcasing some of the most talked about up and comers and biggest names in dance.  With several events and festivals under their belt on the west coast, HARD NYC is one of the first major forays in bringing dance and techno to the east coast by organizers HARD.