What happened
Two burners running a rollicking prank turned a Thursday night at Burning Man into a pop‑up fake headliner set. The duo say they only spun John Summit and GRiZ tracks, handed out stickers, and aimed to poke fun at the culture of chasing marquee names — while keeping it respectful to artists and fans.
- Who: two burners performing under the names chillbill and Toefood (self‑reported).
- What: an impromptu set billed as John Summit x GRiZ that played only those artists’ tracks and distributed stickers to the crowd.
- Where & when: on playa at Burning Man, reported as Thursday night.
- The crowd: organizers say roughly 1,000 people showed up and the stickers ran out fast.
- Intent: a prank meant to remind people about immediacy and the burner spirit, not to impersonate or harm the artists.
The pranksters framed the stunt as part of a long Burning Man tradition of playful set‑ups — they referenced the Funk Hunters’ Daft Punk stunt (2016) and suggested this was a light‑hearted callback rather than an attempt to deceive maliciously.
From a festival‑scene vantage point, this is classic burner mischief: theatrical, ephemeral and meant to shift the vibe rather than create drama. We’ll keep an eye out for any official response, but for now the takeaway is simple — play smart, respect the art, and expect the unexpected on playa.
Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/BurningMan/comments/1ojelwt/we_were_the_artists_who_put_on_the_fake_john/