Before last night, I had never been to an EDM Music Festival. But now I am HOOKED! It was such an amazing experience. It is hard to describe how these festivals can be and there is a lot more going on than just music, so hopefully I can explain it in a way that makes sense.
We got there pretty early. Like right when the doors opened and we were one of the first cars to park. I had no clue how many people would show up to this, but by the end of the night, it was totally full.
The event was held at the Great Saltair in Magna, Utah and this is one of the coolest venues that I have ever been to. It is near the Salt Flats here in Utah and there is an amazing view of the Salt Lake and the backdrop of the stage was a mountain. There were seagulls and other birds flying around, just adding to the whole experience.
Let's talk about the people... When we first got there, we saw girls and guys wearing next to nothing, which seemed a bit odd at first, but after a while, I began to understand that this event is all about expression and love. It was amazing to see all the different races of people all coming together and really building a strong EDM community that embraces everyone.
Utah is a very hard place to live for people that aren't part of the Mormon religion and it is even harder for those that are gay. We have such a high suicide rate here in Utah and this place can be very tough for kids to grow up in if they aren't part of the Mormon mold. That is one reason why my daughter has lost so many friends to suicide in the past couple years.
Whenever we hear of another kid taking their life, our hearts hurt for the kids here and it is amazing to be able to see these younger kids all being able to live their authentic self, even if it is just for a few hours. I know a lot of them have to change their clothes and go back to being "normal" once they leave and get home. It really sucks that so many people live in fear of being themselves here.
It is just really cool to be able to see people all coming together and having an amazing time.
When we first got there, there was a DJ that I had no clue who she was, but she was holding things down until Hi I'm Ghost got on stage and started killing it. I had never heard of Hi I'm Ghost before, hell, I had never heard of any of these guys, except for Excision, before last night. I did recognize a few of their songs, but never had any idea who performed them.
Hi I'm Ghost was awesome though and he really got the energy started for the rest of the night.
Now let's talk about drugs... One of the things that I had always heard about raves and music festivals is that there is a lot of drug use going on and that people are just fucked up the whole time. Well, there is a lot of drug use going on. Mostly weed and psychedelics, but the whole thing wasn't as crazy as I thought it would be. People didn't really seem too fucked up off of anything. There were a few people I saw having a bad trip and their friends were trying to console them and get them through it.
I am an advocate for cannabis use and I really think that cannabis can change people's lives. After last night, I believe that even more. Ever since I spent almost three years in combat and then spent another 6 years in law enforcement, I have had a problem with being in public and with crowds. A music festival like this was something I would never have thought I was going to be able to attend and actually enjoy, but cannabis has given me a way to let my guard down and enjoy life again.
I brought some Pineapple Express with me to the event and as the night went on and the crow got larger and larger, instead of feeling anxious and overwhelmed with everything, I was starting to feel like I fit in with everyone and that was when the night truly became amazing. Cannabis gave me the ability to be present in the moment and to really enjoy myself instead of thinking that something was going to happen or that someone was going to try and kill me. It is hard to explain what goes on in my head, but it was nice to feel "normal" out in this type of situation.
The weather was perfect last night as well. It was in the mid to upper 80s, but when the sun started to set and a breeze came in, it started to feel amazing.
Each DJ got better and better than the last one and the set started to get more and more elaborate as well.
I am so sore today from being up and moving for so long. Good thing they had several water stations for people to fill up their water bottles and camel backs too. We had to fill up our bottles so many times.
It was so cool to be able to experience this with my best friend. We were joking about how so many people told us that we got married too young and that we were missing out on so many things. Now our kids are older and we are both still young enough to go travel and do awesome things like this.
We did learn a few things though. Like that we need to remember to bring our camel backs for the next one. We also need to get some rave necklaces and beads. There is a whole culture that we want to be a part of now. There is a multiple day music festival coming up in August that we are deciding on whether or not to go to. LSDream and a bunch of my other DJs like BoogieT and Feed Me will be there.
It will be here at the Saltair as well, so we will get to see these amazing views while listening to awesome music.
Once the sun had set and it got dark, things started to amp up quite a bit. This is where the whole EDM experience really shines.
The visuals that the artists had to go along with their music was mindblowing. I really wish that I was on mushrooms for this event. These visuals would have been so amazing. Just taking in the whole experience while on mushrooms would have been an amazing trip.
There were people spinning lightsabers, glowing orbs, finger dancing and just having an amazing time in their own world. I think that is one thing that I really enjoyed about this whole experience was that you could really interpret the music and visuals in your own way and make it a magical experience.
I was introduced to so many awesome new artists last night and my EMD library just keeps growing. Next time my wife and I go, we will be more prepared with knowing the songs. It was so cool hearing everyone singing along with them. I did know some of the Excision songs so it was cool to be able to sing along with them.
When this song by Excision came on, it was such a cool experience. It is hard to describe how seeing this stuff live and with all the visuals, it is like you are a part of the music. It is totally different than going to a normal concert.
Just being able to be a part of this crowd here was so cool. I really loved every second of this and I can't wait to do it again.
By the time Excision came on, the stage had been transformed and he was up higher on a large platform with a bigger screen in front of him. They had also set up lasers and fire. Before he started, they had an intermission as they set it all up and they were filling the air with fog. So along with the clouds of weed smoke and the fog, it really made the lasers stand out.
I was no prepared for how amazing Excision would be. The energy was crazy by the time he started and it just got even better as the night went.
I really can't wait to be able to experience this type of show again. I have really enjoyed dubstep and EDM over the years and to be a part of it now is so cool.
This was one of the greatest nights of my life and it was so cool to be able to experience it with my wife. The whole EDM scene is really amazing and it is so cool to see how accepting this culture is. I don't really know how else to explain it, but it really is a place for those that have felt lost or felt like they don't fit in.
This has been a healing experience for me and one that I will cherish forever. I hope that you enjoyed my post and photos. I will have a video coming soon, but I wanted to just make a post about the experience.
