Okay, okay. I got a story for you guys. This is called the best night of my life, and it is 100% completely true! Last Friday, I went to the Aragon theater in Chicago to see a European DJ concert for Armin Van Buuren. Let me tell you, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I found the gig and the tickets online, and since Oct 3rd was my b-day, I got VIP tickets to this concert to celebrate to the fullest. Now, for everyone here who has a problem with harder drugs, you should stop reading now for the fact that you may get offended on what I did when I went to this club. So I take the train up to the city, all dressed up. I love music, and one of my fav. genres is techno. But I've never really had my expierience with the trance scene. I usually would dance to house music and bass bumpin, ya know? So this is the first trancy concert I went to. Me and my boyfriend got two rolls each and popped them before we got into the club. They gave us our VIP wristbands and we walk in. The theater set-up was beautiful. The ceiling had a huge mural on it of galaxies and space, and there were two huge screens with crazy videos and physcadellic clips being played on it. The upper balconies were for the VIP, and when you went up there the view was brilliant. Over 6,000 people packed into this place. But the vibe of that night was something I have never expieireinced before. They had two huge platforms with these acrobat-type dancers wearing amazing outfits that were other-worldly. On stage, a huge DJ stand with Armin up there blastin us his beats. The music was great, and the bass was overwhelming and trancy. They had two ropes behind the stage with acrobats in crazy outfits climbing and hanging 50 feat in the air, doing amazing stunts the whole concert. The dancers were hoolahooping these bright hoops and there were hoops hanging from the ceiling with dancers flipping and hanging in the air. As 11 o clock came, the more sober people left, and you could tell because the dancefloor was cramped with less rude shy people and began to have a more loving and free vibe to it. I danced the night away and the rolls begun to take their toll on me. I was in heaven. The lightshow was amazing, with the music and the dancers and the people. The people there were all loving and no one seemed to remember we were on planet earth anymore. As the night progressed, the love grew. They had chicago police in the place, but the police started to see the love around them. I walked past the police, a type of person who i normally would fear and frown towards, and I exchanged glances with the officer, who at first looked at me as if he was expecting me to do something bad. I gave him a huge smile, and I threw up the peace-sign and walked slowly past them looking them in the eyes with love and acception, and both of them smiled back as if they were relieved. The vibe had got to them also. (Now remember, they are dressed in full uniform, vests, guns, walkie-talkies, the whole chicago police vibe) and I'm on X and hippie-looking.) It was pretty thrilling. As the concert went on, the dancing got more pasionate and Armin got better and better. We were on the dance floor, and my boyfriend wasn't feeling his rolls as fully as mine were feeling. He told me that in my ear, and not even 2 minutes later a strong, firmiliar smell captivates us. We look and right in front of us, someone sparks a blunt. They look at us drooling at it, and offer us a hit. We happily take a hit, and they tell us they're high enough, and walk away, leaving us with the whole blunt!!! Me and my boyfriend finished most of it and passed it to a couple other drooling dancers around us. That was when the peak of our high began. It was perfect. Armin began breakin it down, and so did we. Not a care in the world. I was looking up at the ceiling as I danced, and in my view, I could see the VIP balconies. There were special balconies for special guests, closest to the stage, where parties of people rent out the whole part of the balcony. I saw the people on one of the VIPVIP balconys because the lights got brighter, and they were dancing their asses off and looking into the crowd. All of a sudden, as I'm gazing up at the ceiling and the balconys and the space mural and the lights, I see a huge bright blue glowstick get thrown from the VIPVIP balcony I was looking at into the crowd and for a split second I think, "I hope that comes to me..." And it flies into the 6,000 person crowd and I put my arm to it and caught the motha-f-er!!!!! I look up at the balcony and the whole section of the balcony was screaming and cheering and looking right at me in the crowd and I swung the victory glowstick around and the bass began to bump! That was the climax of my night, me and my boyfriend didn't want to leave but the concert was almost over. It was 4 am, and we got some red bulls and began to get ready to leave before the rush came. We had a longggg way home to go still. When I got into the light of the coat room, I took a better look at the glowstick. This was no cheap glowstick. It was very large and had a whistle at the end of it and a flashlight at the other end. It said "Glows up to 5000+ hours". It was bright and made me stand out. It had a neckless to it, and I looked at the string and began to crack up!!! The string said, "WWJD?" all over it!!! I Don't believe in Jesus, but thats gotta mean something!!! This thing came to me out of 6,000 people! From the "heavens" of the concert hall.... !!!! That night, there were no worries. I felt like I was on another planet where the rules of the world didn't matter anymore. The police were there to keep us safe. No fights broke out. Not one. No one had to go to the hospital. There were no problems. Only love. Only peace. And music. That's how life should always be. Strangers giving you whole blunts, and the rich VIPVIP people cheering you on!!! It was like I caught the bouque at a wedding!!!! Friday night was beautiful, people. I just had to share it with you. Does anyone else have any experiences like this one to share?
Wow, from reading that it must have been a heck of a night. I am just imagining it in my head, the feeling, the adrenaline, the music! Man, I wish its like that when I go see The Prodigy next month. I'm gonna blaze like a mofoooo.. I'm not into hard drugs or anything like that, so the ganja is where it's at, but seriously you're so lucky to go see Armin Van Buuren. He is a LEGEND to trance and techno
Sounds like a fun night! I saw Armin on new years eve and he knows how to put on a show. What you described is what every good rave should be like haha. Those connections you have with people seem small and insignificant sometimes but they make you feel so damn good! Something about the music just brings everyone together. I've been to underground warehouse raves in east LA(sometimes the only white person in the whole place) that have had pretty ghetto crowds but I was still feelin good vibes all night. And one of the coolest feelings is just walkin around the dance floor when you're rolling and makin eye contact with people, giving high fives and shit like that.
That's how the club scene was back in the day here in Orlando. I just missed the best part but the utter love that filled the club was undeniable. No drunk assholes just love. If you bumped into someone, they just looked and laughed as you apologized 20 times. If someone spilled water on you, you thanked them since you were drenched with sweat anyways. It truly is like a little piece of woodstock on an electric level.
I'm stoked because Armin will be in LA on Halloween for Monster Massive...that'll be a sick sick sick show.
Awesome bro, I rave alot. Just moved to the chi a little while ago and got in on the chicago rave scene, i know where all da partys are at so if you ever come out here Hit me up! I'm actually moving to L.A next summer, and know nothing about the rave scene there. Maybe you should add me on facebook and when I'm out there, you can help me find out where the scenes at. I'll be moving around Santa Monica.
I need to start going to those, Im tired of all the highschool/college parties where theres always someone fighting or bitches causing drama . Or the one person who gets so drunk 5 people have to help them around the hole party until they pass out .