More EDC
I wanna go back, go back
And do it all over
Can’t go back, I know
“I Wanna Go Back”
Billy Satellite
I had such a good time in Vegas that I’m sitting here in L.A. depressed, coming down from an experience I didn’t anticipate that has me yearning for more.
Ain’t that how it always is, what you least expect delivers so much. And I thought I didn’t even like Vegas! But it was all about the people!
The piece-de-resistance was dinner at Scarpetta Friday night. Where Boyle ordered in Italian and the conversation took a wild turn from making Madonna records to ADHD to everybody’s relationship.
Neil Jacobsen gave up his car. Yup, he’s totally Uber. He saves money and time. There’s no valet parking wait and he can fire up his laptop in the backseat. And now he’s going totally Airbnb. Yup, he bought a new place at the beach and the way he’s gonna make it work is by renting it out. Hell, that’s what he does when he goes to NYC, he rents an investment banker’s place, the guy even provides groceries.
And that’s what happens when you leave the house, when you walk out the front door, you get a different spin on the world, you see everything differently.
So back to that meal at Scarpetta…
We sat at the chef’s table. With glass looking into the kitchen and another window overlooking the Strip. The polenta was as good as billed, but it was the bread that was spectacular, with layers of prosciutto, YUM! And the octopus was a 10, as were the oysters, and my Wagyu steak had the texture of flank and the taste of…it was as good as it gets. And Boyle said not to worry about the price, since we were eating on credit, whenever the Cosmo screwed up, he got more.
And I understand how the Wynn is the place, but I recommend the Cosmopolitan, because of the balconies, because of the vibe. It’s the place of the yearning, upscale twenty and thirtysomethings. Everybody’s on their way to becoming a winner. The vibe is palpable, it’s not the self-satisfied feel the baby boomers exude, it’s enticing.
I grew up with two sisters. My friends were always made in distant locations, where I was unburdened from their interference and judgment. Like at summer camp, wherein I bonded with my fellow campers and we came to know the real people each other truly were.
That’s what happens when you hang with people long enough, they become three-dimensional. The quiet open up, the boasters are revealed to be empty, and you get more than the hit and run chance provided in everyday life.
As for EDC itself…
Hey brother
Do you still believe in one another
Hey, sister…
Do you still believe in love, I wonder
“Hey Brother”
Avicii
Neil A&R’ed that record. And that’s the ethos of EDC. That we’re truly all in it together. We might be divisive on TV, talking heads may take positions on the left and the right, but the truth is we’re all just human beings looking for a path, and love.
Boyle told me there are never any fights at EDC. Sure, you can attribute that to the effect of drugs, but if you come this far do you want to ruin the experience?
And the experience is…
The Kinetic Field. With a crowd up to 80,000, pulsing to the beat.
And then there’s the Circuit Grounds tent, two and a half times the size of the Sahara, where the people are crowded in but it’s not scary.
And then there’s the stage with hip-hop flavored electronic music, and another one featuring Diplo and I’d be lying if I told you I was an expert on all the variations, but I’m learning, all you’ve got to do is IMMERSE YOURSELF!
You can sit at home and decry the music and the scene, but that just demonstrates that you’re old and calcified, that you’re not open to questioning your preconceptions, to new doors opening, your judgment makes you no different from those who want no change.
But change is inevitable.
But life is not forever.
Life is about experiences. Those are the notches in your belt. Where you’ve been, what you’ve seen. If you’re looking to your driveway to measure your accomplishments you’ve missed the point, it’s about what’s in your brain.
So, so long classic rockers. Your audience is now in its sixties and seventies. You ruled, some of the music will be played forever. But what was once here is now gone. You invented something new, variations on the riff are not so exciting.
And so long to hip-hop. Elements of your music are being embraced in the new sound, the same way the blues begat classic rock. Even more interesting is those who pooh-poohed you and now do the same to EDM.
And so long to the old music business.
It does not matter if the deejay pushes a button. It does not matter if the music is made by computers. It does not matter if the music is a mashup of what came before. What does matter is it’s new and different and if you don’t think electronic music is testing the limits, you’ve got no idea where the perimeter is.
So if you’ve got the gumption and the will, I recommend you book a flight. Not via Trans World Airways to San Francisco, as Eric Burdon implored us, but by Southwest to Las Vegas. Go to the day clubs, to the night clubs, but save enough energy to trek out to the desert in the middle of the night to discover that the younger generation is just like you…finding themselves by pushing boundaries not giving a whit that they’re parents don’t understand.
So it’s different. So you find it hard to understand. So you’d rather stay home and watch television.
That’s your prerogative.
But for me, I’M IN!
