The gates at Electric Daisy Carnival are open from 7:00Pm to 5:30AM which is a lengthy 10 1/2 hours and enjoying it all is not for the weak. On the last day of EDC Las Vegas 2014 I made it a point to go the distance from the time the gates opened until the music stopped as the sun rose to the sky and it’s something I’d highly recommend if you’re up to the challenge.
As you enter the festival grounds they’re clean, empty and it’s surreal. These were the same grounds that two nights prior were packed and trashed but now quiet, clean and waiting for the party to explode.
One of the main reasons for going early was to see the legendary Andy C open the main stage with some drum n bass. It’s sad that he only played for just over a half hour and most people were only able to listen to about 10 to 15 minutes of his set but it was a great experience. Kinetic Field would certainly change over the course of the night from being nearly empty!
After Andy C was finished we headed over to bassPod for two other old school DNB DJ’s by the names of Mystical Influence and Sniper, two guys that were a big part of the explosion of DNB in the Toronto rave scene in the 90’s.
Once they were finished the stages were still pretty empty compared to what they would be by the middle of the night but they were slowly coming alive. As the sun was beginning to set we took the time to walk around and check out some rides with some short lines as people were just starting to fill up the speedway.
A great experience was riding the swings up in the air and getting a bird’s-eye view of Circuit Grounds filling up as Jeremy Olander & Ferhplay were on stage.
With the sun still up it was an easy time to get a different view of the stages, talk with friends and walk right up to any vendors without any sort of line.
Over at Neon Garden there was one of the biggest crowds early in the night for Skream who had the crowd dancing to tech house. It didn’t matter what day or time of night there was always a big crowd grooving at Neon Garden.
As the darkness was setting in it was time to head back over to bassPod for some more drum n bass with Calyx & TeeBee followed by Ed Rush & Optical. Sunday was the night to be at bassPod for anyone who was a fan of the genre.
The next destination in our night was over to Cosmic Meadow for Bassnectar and it felt as though the rest of the crowd had the same idea. The field was packed up to the wall of the track for Lorin Ashton who was ready to unleash his mayhem.
After nearly five hours inside of the speedway at this point it was an unreal experience seeing it go from empty to full on party mode. Stages were packed. The lights were turned on. Fireworks were going off. At this point we were under the electric sky and it was full steam ahead towards sunrise.
Over at Kinetic Field it was time for some emotion with Above & Beyond who played a set better than the two previous years at EDC and exceeded expectations of everyone I had talked to. Kinetic Field was packed for the Group Therapy.
Once they were over it was back to bassPod for Sub Focus and then another dose of Andy C. It was surprising to see so many people leave after Sub Focus was finished as Andy C started who is one of the pioneering forces of DNB.
With three hours left to go in the night it was time to visit bassCon for the first time of the night for some uplifting trance with Bryan Kearney. Angerfist had just finished playing hardstyle at the stage and Kearney didn’t waste any time getting right to the point with a set full of unidentified tracks that had trance addicts happy.
This was also the time of night that hunger set in and Can’t Dutch This, a french fry stand, satisfied that hunger. The food truck was setup near the bassCon stage gets two thumbs up. They were fresh and hit the spot providing some fuel for the rest of the night.
It was then time for the warriors to come out and play over at Kinetic Field as New World Punx took to the stage for a short one hour set. The duo of Markus Schulz and Ferry Corsten are used to playing longer sets so they didn’t have any time to build up to some unicorn slaying, they just went for it. A highlight of their set was during Romper when a drum line came out on stage with their drums lit up and playing along to the beat.
As New World Punx ended it was time to head over to Circuit Grounds for one more legend of the night, the trance pioneer Paul van Dyk. I’ve seen Paul van Dyk a number of times over the years and this was one of the most energetic sets I’ve ever experienced from him. The music was amazing and full of Vandit tracks but he was also excited behind the decks which was felt by the crowd. Emotions were high when he played his track Home and those familiar sang the lyrics my home is where you are. It felt like home.
Ten and a half hours was completed, the sun was in the sky and it was time to smile and be happy to have experienced another EDC. My feet were sore, legs were tired but it was well worth it and amazing watching the party start, peak and come down. It was also sad that it was over and thoughts immediately kicked in wondering when tickets for 2015 go on sale.If you’ve never gone the distance I’d suggest it.
Witnessing the event transform is something I’ll never forget. Stay away from anything illegal, drink plenty of water and eat some food and it’s a challenge that anyone can complete!
Leave a Reply