Review: Nocturnal Wonderland Night 2

Night two of Nocturnal Wonderland brought with it excitement, artists I’ve never heard of, technical difficulties, and new and old friends reached.

I ended up at the festival about the same time I did Friday night (around 7pm). I could tell the crowd was larger (it being a Saturday night), but the line to get through ticketing and security still flowed smoothly and quickly. Being greeted by the same fantasy filled world as the night before was a beautiful sight to experience. I wanted to start quickly though, so I didn’t take as long to soak in the images, and quickly headed to the tents.

I arrived at the Labyrinth tent to be treated to a nice surprise. John Dahlbäck was on stage spinning, and he’s an artist I’ve never heard of before, but he was fantastic. I felt he was able to play to the crowd really well, and the visuals on stage were amazing. They used live camera feeds of the audience overlaid with different light patterns to create a unique experience. If you were like me and hadn’t heard of him before, I highly suggest checking him out.

Great moments happened throughout the night were I continually ran into groups of people I had met the night before. It’s such a great feeling to turn to your side, recognize someone you had a brief connection with before, and just be filled with excitement that you’re able to recreate the experience. There was one group of students from Occidental College that I must have ran into at least 6 different times throughout the night. Meeting new people is one of the best parts about these shows.

Following John Dahbäck, I was able to rave out to R3hab and was taught quite clearly that there really is no party without Arty, but from there the night went off a little bit. Sometime between the end of Arty’s set and the beginning of Benny Benassi, the sound cut off completely. Technical difficulties come and go when your working with all digital media and the crowd accepted it and began chanting Benassi’s name, keeping the energy high. However, after that moment the sound quality in general faded. There were moments when the music was so soft I could easily hold a conversation with those around me without having to raise my voice. I’ve seen some people complaining that only the front speakers were on, which may have been partially the problem, but I was able to get close to the stage and there were still moments when the volume dipped. Whatever it was it certainly killed the energy around the tent.

It felt to me like they were able to fix the problem by the time Pretty Lights took the stage. If you didn’t see my review of Pretty Lights at the Shrine, you should know that he is one of my favorite artists and he has never disappointed me. The build up at the beginning of his set using just the first few notes of “I Know the Truth” put so much energy inside of me, that when he finally dropped the track, I exploded with excitement and grooved the rest of the set away.

I had planned to head to another tent to see Dash Berlin after Pretty Lights, but I had made some friends at this stage and decided to stick around to see Sebastian Ingrosso, which I think was a wise choice. He’s not my favorite artist, but he does know how to spin a good set.

One of the best moments came when all of the performers sporting giant animals over them, that I mentioned in night one, all converged on our tent at once, creating quite a spectacle for the crowd. Sebastian even teased the audience about the upcoming Swedish House Mafia OneLastTour coming to LA (tour dates are announced in just a few hours!) by exclaiming how the next time he would be back in California, he would be bringing his two friend with him, which caused the audience to erupt with cheers.

Even with the technical difficulties, I had a blast on both nights of Nocturnal. The artists were great (as always) and the crowd all seemed to be at the same level. I highly recommend coming out if you’ve never been before, and if you have, I hope to see down the rabbit hole next year!

Review: Nocturnal Wonderland Night 1

I bought my ticket to Nocturnal Wonderland shortly after the amazing experience I had at EDC. Insomniac convinced me fairly easily with pictures of neon trees and tales of fantasy filled environments. A few of my friends had expressed interest in going as well, but by the time the weekend of Nocturnal approached, I was the only one with a ticket, so it seems this would be the first time I head to a festival solo.

The production and design team at Insomniac certainly did their job right when it came to creating the mystical world of Nocturnal. The moment you walk through security it feels like you really did take a trip down the rabbit hole. Spread out before you was beautiful pond with fountains spraying water into the sky. Trees covered in glowing balloons dotted the evening sky. Festival goers where laid out relaxing between shows on lush grass as the subtle vibration of the bass coming from different stages worked its way up your spine. It was truly magical.

I only wish they could have extended that feeling on to the rest of the festival grounds. As soon as you stepped past the main entrance area you were greeted with harsh concrete and your typical venue of store tents, but every company needs to make money somehow, so I can't really blame them. They did do a little bit inside the tents with random performers wearing backpacks supporting giant insects, octopi, and mediating monks would circle through the crowds. It was definitely a shock when I first saw a giant mantis coming towards me, and it certainly added to the experience.

Going solo wasn't as bad as I thought it might be. I'm no longer the shy self I was just a short few years ago and in any EDM environment, people are generally very open to those around them, so I was able to make random friends throughout the night. I even briefly ran into a group of girls I had met at EDC, showing me that this culture may be smaller then I originally thought.

I had made up my mind early on that I was going to try and experience artists that I hadn't seen before, but ones where I at least knew some of their music. I stayed pretty much between the Labyrinth and Alice's House stages, taking in the more well know musicians.

Cedric Grevais and Morgan Page started my night off strong and Fedde le Grand really showed me just how much love I had to give. Mat Zo was a wonderful surprise as I'd only just recently been introduced to his music. The real treat of the night came in seeing Above & Beyond close out the first night. Having only just started getting into their music as well, after seeing their “Small Moments Like These” video, I knew that it would be beautiful; I just had no idea how much.

Their show is absolutely incredible. From the lights, to the music, the love they have for what they do spreads out into the crowd and makes the night so much better.

On a side note, one of the things I love to see most at any show, is when someone who for whatever reason has been confined to a wheelchair, but the audience comes together to lift that person into the sky and they get to experience everything above everyone else. You can just see the joy in their eyes and I think its such a beautiful thing that we can all share in that moment.

Above & Beyond had it right when they projected onto their stage that “Music is the only universal language.”

Random: Reliving EDC 2012: Day 1

It’s been nearly 3 months since my first time experiencing the wonder that is Electric Daisy Carnival. I had lost track of my blog at the time, so I’m taking the time now to relive and share my experiences from those 3 amazing days. I’d like to think that even a brief mention of a moment may draw up memories inside you that will help you relive those the 3 wonderful days (I still listen to recorded sets from EDC and get filled with so much adrenaline, I can’t help but smile).

Starting off, I’m only going to try and recap the good moments. Yes, the transportation was awful and it caused me to miss some amazing artist, as did high winds on Saturday. But with each lose, I feel I gained something thousands of times better.

I still remember walking out of the tunnel and looking down the grand stands and onto the chaos of lights and sound below me. That first rush of adrenaline. The cosmicMEADOW stage laid out in front of you. The Ferris wheel slowly spinning in the distance. Every direction, flashing lights and lasers pierce the sky, drawing you towards the excitement that was to come.

Within five minutes of being there, I lost most of my friends. I think the excitement was too much (none of us had been to EDC before) and different sights and sounds drew us all away from one another. Walking up to the keneticFIELD (where I would spend a majority of my time), I knew that this was my crowd and nothing in my life up to that point, was going to top this.

The first is a blur. I remember the grand production value that the artists put into their shows. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I looked into the air and saw skydivers flying through the sky with streams of fire coming out behind them. The fireworks illuminating the night, and that always seemed to be timed perfectly with the artist on stage. And finally, the crack of the sun as Fedde le Grand closed out the first day and made me realize… real life sucks!

I'm going to continue with day two and three in later posts. But for now, why don't you let me know your favorite moments of day one while listening to Kaskade's set from that night!

Review: Pretty Lights enlightens me again at the Shrine

After a disappointing Friday night with Avicii (I’m glad to hear his Saturday night’s performance was much improved), I really needed a good show to let loose at. Luckily for me, I was on my way to see Pretty Lights at the Shrine Auditorium, and I’ve never been disappointed by him.

I had been to The Shrine once before for Hard Haunted Mansion last year. I spent the majority of my time at the outdoor stage for that festival, but when I had ventured inside I remember it being a wide-open space with plenty of room to dance.

We arrived around 8:45 to find out they only let a limited number of people onto the ground floor, so we were going to have to stand on the balcony. After making our way up the stairs and into the venue, I was shocked to see seats everywhere, both on the balcony and on the floor. I’ve never understood the concept of playing an EDM show in a venue with seats. One of the best parts about the show is meeting and dancing with new people in an open environment, and how are you supposed to do that when you’re confined to the small aisle between seats?

*UPDATE: Hard Haunted Mansion was held at the Shrine Expo Hall and adjacent parking lots, while Pretty Lights was held at the Shrine Auditorium. Apparently Pretty Lights choose the Auditorium as he thought the space would work better with his Visuals. Thanks Melanie for sharing this, I obviously didn't know enough about this venue, hah!

Luckily for me, we ended up staying in one of the main walking aisle ways and I was able to meet a great group of people next to us that I was able to dance with all night. To be honest, finding the right group of people to enjoy with can make or break any show.

We caught the tail end of Marty Party and all of DJ Shadow’s set. I’m a little shocked to see DJ Shadow opening for artists now, as I remember when he was one of the bigger names in the DJ world. I caught part of his set at Coachella, which was a little too chill for me at the time, but last night he brought his A game and kept me moving through the entire performance.

Now, if you’ve never seen a Pretty Light’s show, I highly recommend it to you. His elctro-funk style of Music is perfect to groove to. If you find the right dance partner, you can really have the time of your life (and lucky for me, I did!). Add in his amazing production value for his visuals and you will begin to feel you face melting. He didn’t name himself Pretty Lights for nothing, and if you’ve seen him live, you can understand where I’m coming from. You can tell from his persona on stage, he really loves what he does, and it shows in the quality of his shows.

Being placed on the Balcony turned out to be a blessing. Seeing his show from a higher vantage point, and seeing everyone in the venue (both on the floor and on the balcony), moving and jumping to his hard-hitting music, added another level to the experience that I will never forget. There were moments when I could feel the balcony shaking underneath me from the hundreds of people moving together, adding another jolt of adrenaline to the night.

Thank you Pretty Lights for once again proving to me that I am garunteed to experience the next great moment of my life at your shows. One day I’ll make it to your legendary performances at Red Rocks. But for now, I feel blessed to be able to go to your show last night, and then see you again at Nocturnal Wonderland (tickets still available here) next weekend!

Swedish House Mafia in LA?

Well, for those of you that are connected through Facebook, you've probably already seen the posts blowing up everywhere.

Recently, Swedish House Mafia announced they would be breaking up, and over the next few months would go on their final tour. They released very few venues originally, but are now planning a few more dates.

Last night they released this a photo of their Facebook page along with the OneLastTour tagline of "Will you spot the dots:"

This is obviously a fly over shot of the Los Angeles Historic Park, leading many to believe (including myself) that very soon SHM will be announcing that part of their OneLastTour will be taking place here in LA!

Keep your eyes wide for updates on this.

Quickest updates will come from our Facebook Page

Swedish House Mafia's Facebook Page

and from the official OneLastTour Website

Review: A Very Vicii Let Down.

It’s been a good while since I’ve written a review about any of the EDM shows I’ve attended. But, to be honest, it gets hard coming up with new adjectives to describe how much fun I have at these things (my favorite being “face-melting”). So, why not try something different and allow me to describe the first night I was ever disappointed at an EDM show.

When they announced Avicii would be playing in Santa Monica (I mean, I feel like he never comes to the east coast) and when the two days he was playing sold out in a matter of hours, my first thoughts were that this was going to be an epic event. I’d never been to the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium before, and I’d only seen Avicii at larger music festivals, so seeing him, headlining, in what I assumed would be a more personal venue, how can I pass that up!

I got my hands on a pre-sale ticket for his first show on Friday and, after a few times were I thought I might have to cancel do to work, it was finally the night of the show, and I was going.

*On a side note, when they added Sundays show to the lineup, my mind was torn between, are they doing this for the fans? Or for the money?

Anyways, my friend and I arrived at the venue around 8:35, security, as per usual in LA had the line down the sidewalk, but it moved rather quickly and only took us about 15mins to get in. I heard the day before that alcohol wouldn’t be served at the event, which, while it isn’t a big deal to me, it was still odd. I find alcohol allows those who are less comfortable to be able to unwind a little bit. To be more at ease, be more social. Plus, it generates great revenue for the Venue. Was the SMCA thinking that, because this was an 18+ show, they didn’t want to accidentally sell to minors? Even the woman behind the counter who sold me a bottle of water (which they wouldn’t allow me to keep the cap for…) expressed her confusion at the decision not to sell alcohol. But, oh well, that wasn’t going to effect my night.

However, as soon as we entered the auditorium, I immediately felt the vibe that tonight was going to be… off. Doors had open at 7 and I had heard that there was supposed to be an opener, but here it was at 8:50 and the lights were still on, and they were simply playing older style hip hop recordings (which I have nothing against, as I enjoy classic hip hop). The floor was a little sparse, some people were milling around in the seats behind us, and, as I looked around I realized most of the crowd might not have been born when the songs they were playing had been released. Now, I’m only 25, but boy did I start to feel old.

And boy, was it hot. I admit, it’s been bad in LA recently. On my drive home from work on the 101 my car’s thermometer read 111˚! But, this is an enclosed auditorium. You’re expecting hundreds of people to fill the space. Stop being cheap and turn on the A/C for crying out loud!

So we stood there and waited. Insomniac had posted Avicii was supposed to start at 9:00 and go till 11:30. 9:00 came. Then 9:15. Now 9:30. Hmmph. Every time a song would stop playing, the crowd would cheer only to be disappointed when the hip hop kept playing. The lights finally dimmed at 9:35 and you could feel the energy raise. The floor was well filled. Everyone was excited. The curtain came up and the white head was revealed to us. I remember it from Coachella. Beautiful. When Avicii finally appeared riding the top of the head, everyone applauded, jumped, screamed… and that’s when the night turned.

I was ready to go. Ready to dance. Ready to have fun with those around me. Avicii started his first track. Hmm… “Baba O’Riley” by The Who… that sounds familiar. Okay, now he’s mixing it into “Fade Into Darkness.” Wait a sec… Did I JUST hear this exact set while I was streaming Tomorrowland? That’s exactly what it felt like anyways, I can’t say if it was exactly the same, but it certainly felt like it. It felt like he didn’t even try to put on something new for us. I mean, I saw Skrillex 4 nights in a row, and every set was different! Impress me Avicii, you’re currently an icon in the EDM world, so act like it!

Not that I could hear the songs anyways. The Acoustics were AWFUL. I’ve never heard it this bad from a professional venue. When the bass hits came, they were so overpowering and filled with so much rattle, you could barely hear the song underneath them. After a few songs they finally fixed it, but the venue bounced the music around so much it felt hallow and empty.

I tried to keep my spirit light, continue to dance, but when the Music you listen to all the time, sounds better in your car than in an Auditorium… you have a major problem! Personally, this caused me to loose some respect for Avicii. You’re here to perform for your fans and make sure they have an amazing time. The least you could do is check the venue before you play. Come stand were we are at and listen to what it sounds like. It should meet a higher standard because of your higher production and YOU let us down.

Speaking of “higher productions,” if the music didn’t sound great, at least I can expect an amazing light show, right? Oh, your lights are flooding the room and… everything is just becoming brighter? There’s no spotlighting? No lasers? It’s like someone came in and was just flipping switched to light the room different colors. This is… just… bad.

Okay, so music is off. Lights are... underwhelming. Can I turn to my fellow dancers and have a good time? In truth, I really didn’t want to write this part, as I don’t want to come off as an elitist. I’ve only been enjoying the EDM culture for about a year and a half now, but it has embraced me full heartedly. The great ting about these shows, this culture, is its openness. People are generally friendly, open to letting it all out, and not afraid to look like a fool as long as they are having the time of their life. So here’s where we meet the problem of EDM becoming so mainstream, and especially with the heightened popularity of artists just like Avicii. We’re bringing in new blood, but not those who understand the culture. I looked around at the crowd and maybe it was because they were so young or maybe because Avicii is the next big thing, but they were not the same people I find at other shows. They were just so much less open to loving everyone around them. It really depressed me to think that this may be the direction the future takes for EDM.

I think the final moment of udder disappointment came at the end of the night. I was told there would be a two and a half hour long set. He started late, so I figured we would be there till at least midnight. Come 11:30, Avicii ended, the lights came on, and everyone filtered away. A two-hour set when I was told two and half. A half an hour may not seem like much, but when you're paying $65 for a ticket, you want as much of a show as possible. I’ve never been so disappointed, or upset at what I honestly feel like was a waste of money before.

Avicii, I had high hopes for you after Coachella. Even more when you came back the next day after your spot was cancelled at EDC and gave us even a slight 30mins of your time. But you really dropped the ball here. Maybe the next two nights will be better, because for your fans sake, I hope so. Oh, and I won't be going back to a show at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium again either.

At least I have Pretty Lights to look forward to tonight. He’s never let me down before…

And just for kicks, here's this: