At Mana Wynwood, things just feel better organized this time around. The festival is finally using the entire space, both indoor and outdoor. The first night brought a smattering of technical difficulties at several of the stages, but the hiccups didn't appear to dampen the crowd's spirit. Everyone seemed to take it all in stride.
It's also worth noting Miami finally has a cashless festival. Though it would be nice if the RFID admission bracelet could also be used for purchases, mobile wallet services such as Apple Pay are available at practically every point of sale. Yes, you could still pay with cash if you wanted to, but why would you? This is how every major festival in Miami ought to run.
But let's not forget the reason for III Points' success: the music. The festival's first night, which wrapped up at 5 a.m. today, brought the heavy-hitters straight from the get-go, including main-stage performances by Tyler the Creator and Beach House, chaotic performances by Poorgrrrl and Pussy Riot, and perhaps the most impressive light show in the festival's history courtesy of Virtual Self. Here's what went down day one.
Poorgrrrl. You never know what to expect when III Points vet Poorgrrrl hits the stage at Mana. In 2017, she largely ditched her party-girl antics for a more introspective set, but flashes of her no-fucks-given aesthetic poked through. This year, she opened with Brandon Flowers’ disco-funk jam “The Man” and brought the dissonant sounds of the International Noise Conference to the III Points stage. Though her LED backdrop read, “Emotional Poorgrrrl Advisory,” her set was nothing short of a full-out party. Her dancers launched T-shirts from the stage, she smashed props midset à la Kurt Cobain, and then she closed out her set with an SNL-style sax sendoff. What the hell will she do next year? — Celia Almeida
Dean Blunt. III Points' organizers have always prided themselves on picking exquisitely weird acts, and this year they’ve outdone themselves in booking the avant-garde U.K. rap jester Dean Blunt. His anti-performance, delivered completely in the dark, began with a semi-ironic sample of an angry rap act — which sounded vaguely like XXXTentacion — demanding the audience open up the pit. From there, Blunt, uh, pretty much just played his songs. The bulk of his set seemed to be made up of short, sample-sourced acoustic guitar loops and other strange samples over which he would rap. About 20 minutes in, he started on some bass-heavy turntablism that mildly got the crowd going. At one point, he even dipped into “50 Cent,” his most recognizable song from his most famous album, Black Metal, from all the way back in 2013. A cheer of recognition came from the crowd, which also was shrouded in darkness. Frankly, it's difficult to evaluate this set. Audiences expect something confounding from Blunt, whose past sets have included blasts of harsh noise and other distancing devices. But this set was so normal, so standard, it defied expectations. Was it amazing? (No.) Was it disappointing? (No.) Mainly, it was confusing. It was pretty Blunt. — Doug Markowitz

Beach House. View more photos from III Points 2019 day one here.
Photo by Karli Evans
Pussy Riot. The band came all the way from Russia, so it’s forgivable that Pussy Riot’s set on the Sector 3 stage began about 30 minutes late. Once the ski-masked riot grrrls took the stage, the beginning of their set was marred by technical difficulties, and ringleader Nadya Tolokonnikova could be seen leering over the sound booth. It was probably just some techy banter between the musician and sound guys, but ski masks make any exchange look tense. As their LED-screen backdrop flashed phrases such as “KGB vs. Pussy Riot Gang” and “My Place Is a White House," a fan in the front row sprayed beer on surrounding attendees while yelling, “It’s fucking Pussy Riot!” Later, a neon news ticker on the screen reminded the audience that the very acts of performing these songs and gathering to watch them are illegal in Putin's Russia. It was a sobering moment during an otherwise uproarious III Points set. — Celia Almeida
JPEGMAFIA. I almost died at this set. I almost got run over in the pit, which consisted of pretty much everyone in the audience. That’s how hype it was. That’s how much energy JPEGMAFIA put into his performance. He dove into the crowd. He got winded after the first song, became exhausted after the fourth, and still went all-in for the rest of the set. He shouted out collaborator Denzel Curry and delivered a freestyle that bashed the cops (and Trump). He riffed on the (alleged) weed he bought and how good it was. Truly, there is no performer who goes as hard as Peggy and gives less of a fuck, and if there is one, I am terrified of them. — Doug Markowitz

Honey Dijon. View more photos from III Points 2019 day one here.
Photo by Karli Evans

Tyler the Creator. View more photos from III Points 2019 day one here.
Photo by Karli Evans

Virtual Self. View more photos from III Points 2019 day one here.
Photo by Karli Evans