The festival experience: EDC Orlando 2017
By Jaryd Brady
Tony Guarino IV had been hearing about it for months. The constant reminders sent over Snapchat and Instagram made it impossible to forget. “I can’t wait bro, I’m so fucking stoked,” the texts would read. EDC Orlando was weeks away and college students were infatuated with the idea of dancing and partying to incredibly loud music.
“EDC wasn’t anywhere close, yet people were treating it like it was that weekend,” Tony said remembered about his experience.
EDC stands for Electronic Daisy Carnival, and it is one of the biggest Electronic Dance Music (EDM) festivals of the year. The lineup of performers was released weeks ahead of time to hype up the event so more people would go. Nightmare, Seven Lions Zomboy, artists who travel all over the world were coming to perform only hours away from Tony. Tony compared the lineup drop to watching someone else’s food being brought out before yours when you’re starving.
“EDC always brings in great performers, but when you finally get to see who’s performing it makes you so much more anxious,” Tony said.
Weeks came and went as the infatuation with EDM and EDC spread throughout the Florida Gulf Coast University campus like the flu. “I became one of those people,” Tony said. “Once I was done with school for the weekend, it was all I could think about.”
The night before is always the longest. Eager concert-goers are busy finalizing plans and packing up the rest of their festival attire. Tony keeps reading over the set list.
“I can’t sleep the night before a festival, how cheesy that might sound,” Tony said. “I always find myself reading over the performance list and listening to all their great songs.”
The sun rose and before anybody knew, Tony was up and ready to go.
“Let’s go!” Tony screamed as he went to pick up his friends.
The synchronized conglomerate of responses were a mixture of nervousness and excitement. Chance, Tony’s partner in crime when it comes to festivals, came running towards the car screaming.
“If you had never been to a festival you would think we’re demented,” Tony said.
The excitement had built up to its peak and Tony was hours away from EDC Orlando.
As they all drove down the highway, the nervousness and pre-festival jitters grew.
“Man I can’t wait for ZEDD,” Tony repeated during the ride to Orlando.
The festival was easily heard from the parking lot and progressively got louder as Tony progressed through the line. From the line, you could see everyone slowly waddling through the entrance gate like penguins. As you progressed, walking on trampled grass, you could see the carnival rides at the back of the park. As you turned the corner and faced the entrance gate you could see the stages.
The stages were like thrones, where DJ’s were royalty, addressing crowds by the thousands. Their royal decree, ear-deafening music accompanied by laser light shows and fireworks. Their power, massive bass systems stacked on the sides of the stage, shaking rib cages from the entrance gate.
“I love how everybody is always so nice at festivals,” Tony said.
“It’s probably the drugs,” a girl in line said.
The drug culture behind music festivals has gained in popularity over the years given the positive advertisement of drugs like ecstasy and molly. Ecstasy, molly and other drugs with the same effect are are central nervous system stimulants that cause euphoric highs, “enhancing” your festival experience. Drugs like this can also cause a rapid heartbeat, high blood pressure, blood vessel constriction and sweating, and can prevent the body from regulating temperature.
“That’s why everyone is happy or sitting by the watering hole chain-smoking cigarettes trying to calm down,” Tony said. “people usually end up taking too much and need to take a break from the wild for a couple minutes.”
Tony walked through the line as soon began to feel the music resonating through his body. The water on the ground rippled every time the bass dropped.
“Yo it reminds me of that movie,” another festival goer said. “The one with the dinosaur.”
“You mean ‘Jurassic Park?’” Tony’s friend Chance replied. “Dumb ass.”
People laughed, screamed and cheered as they were searched at the gate. Every year there are always people that get thrown out because they try bringing in drugs, alcohol or other illegal items. unfortunate for those guys. Everybody knew that once you were passed the gate, you’re experience had begun. Tony had gotten to the festival that night.
“The line is the last thing you have to get through until you get to see the actual thing,” Tony said. “You’ve been waiting for months and now that you’re finally there you just want to take off.”
At music festivals, the lights and atmosphere are meant to seem somewhat otherworldly. At EDC Orlando, a giant metal woman, resembling a goddess, held her arms open, embracing the crowd as artists played and lights flashed. The Ferris wheel and other carnival rides gave riders the optimal view overlooking the entirety of what EDC Orlando is. The rides, the lights, the people, everything that people had come to see was visible from the top of the Ferris wheel.
“EDC, what the fuck is up!” DJ’s said as crowds roared and hands lunged towards the sky. The songs would begin and the audience was locked in. As the beats began to speed up and the rhythm would build, the audience was primed, ready for a rib-shaking bass drop that would send the crowd into a frenzy. The tempo built until it sounded like a machine gun and reach a brief moment of silence before igniting the stage with lights, fireworks, smoke machines and a bass drop that would shake a tooth loose. This went on for days.
Tony, like a kid in a candy store, bolted and was immediately engulfed by the crowd. The combination of smoke and flashing lights was the embodiment of a drug warning label. The grass, more mud than anything, shook from the bass systems and cheering crowds. The laser light show would cease and the smoke would clear as the crowd looked upon the stage, creating a sense of peace amidst the waves of screaming, singing and jumping. The crowd stood still as the screen behind the DJ’s worked with the music. The DJ’s beat would build in volume and tempo as the screen would begin to flash different colors to the beat of the song. The song reached a silent climax, leaving only the beat and lyrics. “Yo EDC throw your hands up,” the DJ would say. Tony, along with the crowd of thousands, followed. Silence echoed throughout the festival for the first time as the DJ dropped the beat like a meteor. The lights flashed, the bass boomed, the fire roared and fireworks exploded in the sky as the crowd ignited into a frenzy. The crowed, looking upon the stage in awe, raised their hands to the sky opened up by fireworks. This was within the first thirty minutes of getting through the gate.
Chance and the rest of the crew disappeared into the madness after tony, only join him dancing and screaming. Tony and his group were able to lose themselves in the music, allowing the DJ to taken them it to take them wherever he wanted to.
“I can’t believe this,” Tony said.
“What?” Chance said.
“I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS,” Tony screamed.
“NEITHER CAN I, BRO,” Chance replied.
“It’s a place where you go to escape from the hatred and discrimination of the world,’ Tony told me after EDC Orlando. “My favorite part is usually at the watering stations because in the middle of the festival’s chaos, you have that one place where people come to relax and talk.”
“I understand how people can not like music festivals. They’re loud and crowded and all that,” Tony said later on. “But within that madness, you forget about all your doubts and fears and just enjoy the moment. Everyone is so happy to the point where it doesn’t matter what you’re going through, you’re just happy.”
The festival lasted for two days. During which, Tony was able to fully embrace all that EDC had to offer. He had rode the rides, lost his voice from singing, lost feelings in his legs from dancing, and had been partially deaf in both his ears from the “righteous” bass drops. The festival ended Saturday night, and Tony was ready to head home.
“It’s never easy leaving a festival,” Tony later told me. “You think back to the lights, the rides and performers and think, ‘who would want to leave?’”
Tony started on his way home, shoes covered in dirt and shirt ripped from the mosh pits.
“How are we feelin’, boys?” Tony asked.
It was funny given that all the guys in the car responded with “fucking awesome,” all at the same time.
Its that sense of carelessness that gives the festival its appeal. The fact that you can go and scream until you can’t anymore gives that sense of rage and partying a healthy release.
“Driving back, you’re just in a better mindset,” Tony told me. “Everyone want’s to cut loose. That is what EDM festivals give you.”
Tony, Chance and the rest of the crew headed home with dirty clothes and smiles on their faces. As everyone went back to their daily routine, Tony began to get more and more messages reading, “Bro, are you ready?” And once again, that subtle restlessness about the next festival began to sneak into his mind.
