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.”