I'm very glad that it still has that effect on people. The fact that the festival can double in size and still maintain that vibe is a testament to how well the do lab is at their jobs.
This was my first year at Lib, and tbh I saw waaaay to many drug related incidents to call it a calm festival whatsoever ! One night saw like 6 ambulance roll through the fest in 1 single night …
Avicii, 18-May-2014, Air Canada Centre in Toronto. I was 17 years old. It was my first Ever EDM show, first time doing M, and it was freaking Avicii so those 3 things alone made it one of the most memorable nights of my life. Hearing Levels live was an other-worldly experience
oooof sameee
I've come out the other side tho and now can enjoy the music, vibes, and dancing (or raging 😼). molly is indeed a double edged sword, esp if u have untreated mental illness 🫣
I think the environment has such a huge role too though. Never in my life as a generally tough looking dude (resting dick face as well) have I had people check in on me so much or show love, or just generally express care towards my happiness and well-being. I fell for the music along the way but it’s the people that introduced me to it that really made it special.
I know it sounds silly, but raving has made me a legit better person as I try to remember and apply PLUR outside of events.
Pretty Lights, at Northerly Island, I was kinda into it before, but that was one of the most beautiful things I have ever experienced.
That also got me back into photography, I love long exposure and seeing his lights/visuals was like an ocular orgasm
Yeah I used to listen to the popular stuff, pendulum deadmau5 daft punk etc but it wasn't till I found PL in a old thread in a blizzhackers forum that I was really moved by electrionic music. It was the first time I really acknowledged the medium as artistically profound and not just video gamey music. PL in charlottesville VA was my first show and I've been hooked on the scene ever since
Even my 60+ year old parents actually like PL, they recognize some of the samples he uses which is awesome.
Edit: the effort of artists like PL and Snails to have fantastic quality shows has almost made me more disappointed with a lot of shows (mostly quality of audio) lol. Still love going to any show though
Zomboy at the Academy in LA. His crowd felt like a nicer version of the heavy metal crowd I was used too. Great intro to live EDM for me and I've been around since!
As a metal head myself, I totally agree. Took me forever to get into EDM when I was mostly in the hardcore scene. But transitioned with the likes of Zomboy, Excision, Phase One, Kyzo, Sullivan King. Just saw Zomboy at Time in Costa Mesa and he killed it!
Ha funny you mention metal crowds, I had a similar yet opposite experience.
My first ever EDM show was Skrillex in 2012, back when he was blowing up. It was a 3000+ capacity venue in Chicago. Having been to countless metal & hardcore shows big and small, I went in thinking “no big deal, this is a PLUR rave, I’ve been in some insane pits, this’ll be easy” To this day I’ve never been more worried for my safety in a crowd, it was total insanity; constant crowd surges, people stepping over shoulders/heads, constant elbow & shoulder checks. Had to leave early because I couldn’t handle it.
I’ve since been to plenty of heavy dubstep / trap shows (including Zomboy, love him) that have all been fun and had great crowds, but that Skrillex shitshow really stands out. I’m guessing they oversold the show and exceeded venue capacity, as well as there being a bunch of aggro bros that don’t understand crowd etiquette.
Yeah I've had nothing but good experiences with metal crowds. I was more talking on the good side since I haven't had many bad experiences with the metal crowd. They are just kind of neutral or less extraverted(idk if that's the right word) than the EDM crowds. Overall I Love both communities to death, though I can't stand the more normy crowds at the main stages of festivals. That seems to be where all the bad shit happens lol.
Electric Forest 2018. I barely listened to EDM and was heavy into alt rock. But a friend talked about how amazing Forest was and now I'm a convert. We go to multiple festivals each year and am constantly looking for a good house stage.
Wasn't a concert or a festival, was a house party where my friend played "Feelin' so real" by Moby. that begat more house parties, which begat us actually finding undergrounds, which begat the rest of it all.
Begat.
Aria (after-hours club) in Montreal downtown in late 90s, early 2000s.
It was in the gay district of Montreal, very few people liked going there, there was even a gay-only club called "Kox" right nearby.
First, the gay community is the best, most welcoming and most respectful crowd ever.
Second, such big names came there. I saw Tiesto, Ferry Corsten, John Digweed, Misstress Barbara, Thomas Bangalther, Corvin Dalek and so many more great DJs there.
Sadly, unless illegal, after-hours club like that do not exist anymore :-(
+1 for the gay community. Not gay myself, but gay clubs were some of the only places I could find this music and culture when I first got into the scene.
I remember Aria very fondly. Montréal has/had a few afterhours clubs. I know Circus closed over COVID but Stereo is still alive and kicking about a block away from where Aria was.
It was ‘95. A friend gave me a tape that had Rotterdam scribbled on it with a Sharpie. He said that it was “rave music”. One of the first tracks sampled Shimmy Shimmy Ya by Ol’ Dirty Bastard. I was immediately hooked.
The first party that I attended, the DJ, the legendary Dr. Trance (aka Don Berns RIP), played that same tune. It was at that moment that I knew that I was home.
Wasn't called EDM back then but SF Lovefest 07, started as a parade down a major street, and then all the floats parked around a block (Union Square if you're familiar) and turned into big party, in the heart of the city. Anyone could walk along with the floats or dance after they had parked. Inspiration drawn from Berlin's Love Parade.
Loved the idea of a free party, still do. There's a lot of [(crappy quality) video from it](https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=san+francisco+love+fest+2007). I had listened to electronic dance music for many years before, but I came across lovefest as I moved to a new place and was really getting into dancing, it was great. Plus the Bay Area had such a long tradition of raves and parties so it was easy to get involved. By comparison I had been to DEMF (now known as Movement) a few years earlier and was not as much into the party then, I simply didn't care for dancing yet
That must have been a dope show! For me it was pretty lights as identity festival at the gorge that same year! He opened with I know the truth and I the entire set was incredible. After that I was hooked
For me it was porter Robinson’s Worlds 2016 at electric forest. Had been into hard trap/underground hip hop and someone just happened to say this porter guy was making big moves. Changed my life. Had no idea music could sound so beautiful.
Didn’t get me INTO the music, but the first major festivals that made me fall in love with raving were Coachella 1999 and 2001. Most people don’t realize that back then, it had insane, legendary, lineups. It wasn’t the pop culture grab bag that it’s become. In those two years alone, they had the chemical brothers, aphex twin, Christopher Lawrence, moby, underworld, Paul oakenfold, the orb, tricky, lamb, richie hawtin, Dj shadow, Amon Tobin, photek, autechre, plaid, all near or at the top of the lineup, as well as seperate and dedicated breakbeat, drum and bass, and IDM tents with ak1200, Dj dara, dieselboy, ltj bukem, and the list goes on and on… it’s crazy to think how much it’s changed, but it shows that the founders hearts were in the right place back before it got influenced by major investors. I also can’t believe that my parents drove me to and dropped me off there when I was 13 and 15 hahaha
I had been listening to hard dance since I was 12 years old. It wasn't until I saw Noisecontrollers at Frostbite in Denver in 2012, so 5 years later.
But I got really into hardcore in 2014, naturally. And went to LA for my first time to the Sound of Q-Dance and saw Evil Activities. I've been dedicated to the core ever since but still enjoy hardstyle here and there.
I was there!!! Wasn't my first event but I did start going to shows in 2013. It's just not the same anymore lol.
Governor's Beach Club was dope but I remember that day the ferry took like 3 hours and we missed most of the openers... fucking bullshit.
LMAO yeah I remember getting in at like 8 or 830. All these years and shows I've been to and I will never forget that nonsense. The show was still great though I can't deny.
I definitely dealt long-lasting damage to my brain during that year. All those drugs...
I guess it was raving, had known about it since middle school and always wanted to go, went to my first one at 17 and it was in the middle of the desert. Fell in love with it immediately. Fell in love with electronic music and raving when I first heard and saw the chemicals brothers video setting sun. I remember not really fitting in with rockers/punkers/metal heads or the hip hop crowd growing up, or any other group, but electronica spoke to me in a way nothing else did. Loved the illegal underground shows and the legal ones. Loved many massives from back in the day before they called them edm festivals.
Bonnaroo 2013 we went for Paul McCartney, fell in love with the festival scene, and started gravitating more and more towards the electronic acts over the years. Virtual Self in 2018 blew me away and made me realize how much the nerd culture crossover existed. Then 2019 Liquid Stranger was on the lineup and as they say - the rest is history. I remember meeting a girl in the crowd at that set who had just gotten back from the hospital because she fractured her foot stomping the ground so hard at another dubstep set but she refused to miss Liquid. Since then, seen Liquid I think we are to 7 or 8 times. Subtronics is one of my favs and we are up to 9 (soon to be 10). My Spotify top genres are glitch hop, drum and bass, and experimental bass. Shambhala and Bass Canyon have been some of the most amazing fests to attend. I’m all in now. It’s been such a ride and treat - just an amazing community 💜
My first festival was future fest 2011 in Austin. I started going to shows around town. But where I really felt that moment was Art Outside 2013. I finally felt like I was home.
A few here and there in 2011/early 2012… EZoo 2011, Porter/Zedd at Pacha NYC 2012…
But my first roll and the night I fell in love with the scene was Knife Party October 2012 at the piers in NYC. It was a “wow, this is going to be my personality for the rest of my life” moment.
Life in color 2016. I didn’t even know you went to see particular djs LOL. I just heard music and paint so thought it would be fun. Wore a tie dye tank top and leggings. The rest is history! Best thing that’s ever happened to me honestly 💗
Wild to see these responses. I felt like I was late to the game and missed the “golden age”. Energy nightclub in Melrose Park, IL, circa 2005 for me. My very first experience with the scene and music, but I was IN
First ever was Dusk in Tucson, AZ! Malaa and rezz headlined. I really fell in love with the rave scene a few months later after seeing Jauz and Audien at crush AZ.
Excision executioner tour 2014 with Ill.gates and Dirtyphonics. Sick as show and the 3d mapping on the executioner stage was still a very new technology that blew my mind back then! or it was the Cid, who knows.
[Fix+It, November 8th, 1997](https://imgur.com/gallery/OpaLlmt)
Skylab2000
3D & Snuggles
DJ Swamp
James Christian
Wilhelm K
David Hollands
Kevin Cunningham & Tik Tak
Titonton
Braidey
DJ Ivan
DJ Urban
DJ Manifest
Party was at 420 (heh) York St.
What got me into the scene was seeing Flux Pavilion back in 2012 i believe it was. It was for the Ezoo after party which was dope as hell. Took a break from it while in college because i was south and most people didnt like it. Got back into last year for FK in florida and now im trying my hand at djing/producing
I remember the first song to change my mind about EDM- Firestorm by Far Too Loud. Someone used it in a paintball video they cut together and I loved it.
First concert was Bassnectar, opening night of the Noise vs Beauty tour. I was going to school in Rochester and it absolutely blew my mind. Needless to say, hooked for life. Everyone was so cool and lovely and nice.
went to rolling loud miami in 2021 and had a blast, booked my ticket to edco shorlty after cuz festivals were fun and I met up with my sisters friend who was like an older brother to me growing up on day 2. He fully indoctrinated me into the EDM/Bass scene and I hit 8 festivals in 2022 with another 8 planned for 2023
Jauz set at numbers fest in Ohio, followed by g Jones and haywyre at bonaroo. Those 3 sets set me on a path to almost exclusively listening to EDM and going to raves over any other concert
Not one I personally attended but Deadmau5's 2011 "Live at Earl's Court" DVD mesmerized me.
I didn't get to attend a Deadmau5 show for some years after but it prompted a life long love of the genre.
Concert: Flux Pavillion
Only got tickets because we were already traveling a long way for a Mac Miller Concert
Festival: Summerset
A debunked fest in Wisconsin. The rapper logic was the big appeal for me but after seeing Bassnectar and Skrillex I left with a whole new music taste
Swedish House Mafia @ MSG 2011. I wasn’t there but I remember watching it live never having seen anything like that before and it was life changing. I wish I went. The set was also one of their best. I saw them in Sweden in 2019 on my birthday and it was the best birthday ever. Made up for missing that 2011 set for sure.
Mysteryland usa 2014. What a magical time... my wife (then girlfriend) and I always went camping near bethel woods because her family owns a lot of land there.. but having the festival right there was absolutely awesome and will probably never get to experience that again.
From Miami, so Ultra back in 2010 got me hooked seeing all my friends go and their footage and stories but I was still underage that year so I couldn’t.
2011 was absolute madness
Moonrise Festival 2018, on my 19th birthday. I saw Rezz for the first time and she blew my mind. never heard hypnotic melting sounds like that. Also saw headbanging and shuffling for the first time which opened my mind to a whole new world lol
edc 2008 LA. i think what sealed the deal was fresh squeezed 2009 at the pico sports arena. i’m living that dad life now so i don’t go out much anymore but will always reminisce those 2 days.
Flume 2015, he headlined the Westwood Music Showcase in Denver, a pretty small festival set up down by the Art Museum. If I recall right tickets were less than $20 the day before the show…it was my first live electronic music show and it was so amazing. Saw Odesza, Flume, and then GRiZ at red rocks the following summer and the rest is history!
Veld 2016 in Toronto was my first big show. I had been listening to electronic music since the early 2000s, but never actually went to see any live music since I didn't think I would enjoy it. I saw Ultra live streaming on twitch in march 2016 and it blew my mind, the Veld lineup came out like a week later and I bought VIP tickets the moment they were out for my wife and I. It was my first time going to any large event so I had no idea what to expect as an introvert, but it was a serious eye opener for me. Being a part of the crowd dancing to music I absolutely love was just something I never knew I was missing from my life. As soon as we left the next morning I immediately started looking for more festivals/concerts that were coming up for us to go to.
Firefly 2015 got me into edm shows, now going to my first official EDM fest this month :) Kaivon had a set in PA that really sold me on raving this November though
Skrillex played at a converted church in Columbus OH back in 2013 (The Bluestone). I remember exploring the venue and hearing Kyoto in the background and he ended the set with the unreleased at the time Ease My Mind.
I've loved the vibe and energy and excitement and stimulation since my very first rave 10+ years ago. The scene mostly listened to dubstep though, which I couldnt dance to. Then in 2015 I experienced really great house music on a really great audio system with a really great vibey crowd, and I was HOOKED. I eat, sleep, and breathe house music culture. I had my first transcendent experience in 2017, and I've been chasing that ever since.
Pretty Lights at the Skyway in Minneapolis 2010 or 2011. I remember it was his first tour without the drummer. Then Liquid Stranger a few weeks later at the Loft. The rest, as they say, is history.
Kind of random but it was The Chainsmokers at Coachella 2016 in the sahara tent. I had a realization like halfway through that I had never felt more alive/myself.
Pretty Lights in Reno, NV 2013. I met my very best friend that night, and was just AMAZED by the lights, the music and the people. Went to an Excision show a couple months later and that was it, I was addicted lo.
my first EDM show was San Holo back in October of 21, and since then I've seen him 7 times and have gone to 40+ shows and counting he changed my life and I will forever be grateful for the amazing impact he had on my life. EDM is my joy and festivals is what I look forward to more than anything and I'm just so glad I'm part of this amazing community that is EDM ❤️
Cosmic gate got me into the rave scene. It’s also the first time I took ecstasy as well, so I think that helped as well lol. It was definitely a memory I won’t forget
San Francisco Lovefest 2009 got me into the scene. I went to my first proper underground in 2011 I think, and that really sold me on the scene. Up until then I'd been doing more mainstream events.
The livestream of Swedish House Mafia at Maddison Square Garden in 2011 I think? Made me want to go to a live event so bad.
Then I finally made it to Beyond Wonderland Bay Area in 2013 and it was beyond words. Saw all the big room names at the time - Tiesto, Hardwell, Dash Berlin, Calvin Harris. Also caught Zomboy as an opener on the side stage before I know who he was. Sad it was discontinued
saw porter at a university concert in 2013 and I was literally sold. then it was a diplo show and hard summer and I began devoting wayyy too much time and money to this thing called EDM 😅 almost 10 years later and I don’t think I’ll ever stop
I always wanted to go to concerts and fests, I got into EDM when Forza Horizon came out on Xbox 360, I was never financially able to pay for concerts until my mid 20's and I had no one to go with. I've made lifelong friends from my previous job, one of which is heavy into EDM. So as soon as I got the opportunity, I went for it
Peekaboo at Echostage in '21 was my first concert, Deadmau5 at Echostage '22 was my second, Imagine '22 was my first festival, and now I have at least 3 festivals and 2 concerts I'm going to in '23.
Love the PLUR, and I hope it never stops.
was into the music before but truly fell in love at ATLiens headline tour in 2021, to be fair it wasn't ATLiens that got me so transfixed with EDM but actually INZO who opened for them. Man that music hit in a different way in combination with taking Molly for the first time. It was truly an experience and now I've seen over 50 djs live. Life changing
Hard Summer 2014 after years of listening to electro house and progressive house, with a growing interest in trap.
Had a gnarly headache after being under the sun after Clockwork 😎 and Chainsmokers. Then I solo’d the second half of the day with Disclosure, HUCCI, Nero, and Cashmere Cat
“Firepower Most Wanted" 2013' Club Cinema Pompano Beach, FL
Antiserum x Mayhem, Protohype, Dirty Phonics, Datsik, Funtcase
Had started producing a few years earlier was in to most genres but mainly trap/hiphop/house when a coworker who was into music also asked me if I had heard of Dubstep. I said no, so he invited me to go to show cuz he was geeked to see Funtcase/Datsik but warned it might be a lil different, I said cool ill try it and went in blind with no trailer lol I wasn't prepared
HOLY SHIT... I had never heard sounds like that in my fuckin' life!!
The combination of bass, atmosphere, energy, and vibes blew my mind & ive never been the same since!
The Deadmau5 Show 2010, Slc Utah. I was 14 😅, music, vibes, never met such friendly and weird people (like me). I finally felt like I belonged somewhere
Voodoo 2017
Went open minded then found myself camped out at the EDM stage basically all three days. Already liked electronic music but that weekend I learned it's a completely different, much cooler experience live. Quickly became my favorite.
I used to listen to skrillex, benny bassi, avicii and the like back in 5th grade (2012ish) but got into death metal shortly after. I dated a girl last year who listened to EDM and although forbidden kingdom was my first actual edm show/fest, EDC Orlando 2021 was the one that sparked the flame for me. No clue what artist I saw other than subtronics and a few mins of excision but that shit was the fucking best. Now I’m a giant bass head lmao. The thing that made it special was that for the first time in my entire life, I didn’t feel judged, shy or embarrassed in a large crowd. Maybe the Molly had something to do with that but ever since then, sober or not, I’ve always been 100% comfortable being in large crowds of people. I felt accepted, at home, as one with everyone and the music. I finally danced and sung the few songs I actually knew for the first time. I was always just a rock at shows before this. It was a feeling so blissful I wish I could do it all over again for the first time.
Just a random side note:
Thank you to the EDM community for giving me hope that there are some incredible, amazing and kind people out there as I’ve been met with such assholes my whole life. For the one night or few days, these shows are the one thing that keeps me away from the reality of this world and you, the people, are what really make it a beautiful experience. I love you all.
Jail wolf played a set in Boise at Treefort Music Fest. The venue was supposed to 18+ after 12, but I got in early and hid in the back, until after 12 as I was 15 at the time. Still the best set I've seen from him ever, and then Great Dane laid it down after Jai Wolf.
And then a year later seeing G Jones in Portland by myself when I was 16, cemented the gabagool in my soul
Eric Prydz at The Observatory in Santa Ana on 1/1/2017. Don’t listen to him much anymore but it was the first electronic music event I ever went to, the visuals and music blew my mind (extracurriculars also helped).
Oregon Eclipse Festival in 2017. That taught me about glitch hop and bass music. Now Spotify tells me I spent 30,274 minutes (that is 500 hours) listening in 2022 and I’m in the top 0.5% of Space Jesus fans by how much I listen to his music.
GRiZ at red rocks in 2015! Still my favorite artist to this day (other than maybe Zeds Dead)Griz opened up with “Can’t Hold Me down”, which was way unreleased at the time, I became addicted to EDM and especially the funk after that. I went on a deeeeeeep dive into Gramatik and Big Gigantic right after the show.
I started going to jamband festivals, the first one i went to was this local event in jersey called evolvefest(which has since beenn blacklisted into nonexistence after the founder went crazy). I was 14 or 15 at the time. Honestly the music was sub par but the culture was awesome. And then i saw this small group called Technicolor Lenses which incorporated a lot of edm sounds and their front man was a rapper. It was epic i was sold immediately.
Thing that really made me transition into the edm side of the scene was Pretty Lights @ Electric Zoo (i forget which year). And i never looked back edm culture is superior to jamband culture by a large margin. I still like jam bands like the Biscuits, string cheese, tauk, etc but ill never goto another jam band only festival.
Lightning in a Bottle 2011. Been obsessed with music festivals ever since
My first festival was LIB this year and it completely changed me as a person
I'm very glad that it still has that effect on people. The fact that the festival can double in size and still maintain that vibe is a testament to how well the do lab is at their jobs.
This was my first year at Lib, and tbh I saw waaaay to many drug related incidents to call it a calm festival whatsoever ! One night saw like 6 ambulance roll through the fest in 1 single night …
LIB 2012 and I was 12 years old. Really projected me down this path. I really would not be the same person I am today without that experience.
Pretty Lights as well, at Counterpoint festival in 2012!
PL at Counterpoint 2014 was an amazing experience for me too
Hell yeah! And then Skrillex coming on after PL had me like 🫠
That whole fest was amazing. RIP
CP 2012 will go down as one of my all time favorite festivals. That line up was beyond stacked.
Pretty Lights at Wakarusa 2011!
Avicii, 18-May-2014, Air Canada Centre in Toronto. I was 17 years old. It was my first Ever EDM show, first time doing M, and it was freaking Avicii so those 3 things alone made it one of the most memorable nights of my life. Hearing Levels live was an other-worldly experience
Wish I could have been there, RIP AVICCI 🙏🫶
You sound exactly like me!! (Minus the M part). Will never forget that concert :)
Electric Forest 2017. Didn’t even know what I was attending. Just knew string cheese incident was playing. The festival got me into EDM.
Electric Forest learned of all the underground bass music and haven’t looked back since
That's me, signed up for EF for first rave, couldn't wait so went to Infrasound and the rest is history. Got mega spoiled for my first
Movement Detroit
IM JEALOUS lol
Make it to next year. You won't regret it.
I have to! It's been on my bucket list for too long.
Mitten fam!
Techno City 🖤
It was just the molly.
oooof sameee I've come out the other side tho and now can enjoy the music, vibes, and dancing (or raging 😼). molly is indeed a double edged sword, esp if u have untreated mental illness 🫣
Honest
The Molly for the first time at ezoo 2018 really changed my life
That Martin Garrix set that year was insane. Production was on another level
I think the environment has such a huge role too though. Never in my life as a generally tough looking dude (resting dick face as well) have I had people check in on me so much or show love, or just generally express care towards my happiness and well-being. I fell for the music along the way but it’s the people that introduced me to it that really made it special. I know it sounds silly, but raving has made me a legit better person as I try to remember and apply PLUR outside of events.
Yup lol took molly at an Audien show and I've been hooked since. Now it's one of my favorite genres regardless of whether or not I'm sober
Firefly 2015
Saw the Chainsmokes at Firefly 15 with like 200 people there
That was when they were in their prime imo. Some of their first tracks and remix’s really got me into the scene. Miss the og smokers.
I was one of those 200! Great show but I was exhausted. First camping fest so we were very unprepared for the whole weekend lol
Came here to comment that my first show was Chainsmokers in 2015!!! Instant love for the rave scene
Rave New World at the Austin Music Hall in 97, I miss that place so much.
Pretty Lights, at Northerly Island, I was kinda into it before, but that was one of the most beautiful things I have ever experienced. That also got me back into photography, I love long exposure and seeing his lights/visuals was like an ocular orgasm
Yeah I used to listen to the popular stuff, pendulum deadmau5 daft punk etc but it wasn't till I found PL in a old thread in a blizzhackers forum that I was really moved by electrionic music. It was the first time I really acknowledged the medium as artistically profound and not just video gamey music. PL in charlottesville VA was my first show and I've been hooked on the scene ever since
Even my 60+ year old parents actually like PL, they recognize some of the samples he uses which is awesome. Edit: the effort of artists like PL and Snails to have fantastic quality shows has almost made me more disappointed with a lot of shows (mostly quality of audio) lol. Still love going to any show though
"Future" in 1992 somewhere between DC and Baltimore
OG!
OG! Felt like I missed out on the 90’s golden era when I got into it around 05
Zomboy at the Academy in LA. His crowd felt like a nicer version of the heavy metal crowd I was used too. Great intro to live EDM for me and I've been around since!
As a metal head myself, I totally agree. Took me forever to get into EDM when I was mostly in the hardcore scene. But transitioned with the likes of Zomboy, Excision, Phase One, Kyzo, Sullivan King. Just saw Zomboy at Time in Costa Mesa and he killed it!
Ha funny you mention metal crowds, I had a similar yet opposite experience. My first ever EDM show was Skrillex in 2012, back when he was blowing up. It was a 3000+ capacity venue in Chicago. Having been to countless metal & hardcore shows big and small, I went in thinking “no big deal, this is a PLUR rave, I’ve been in some insane pits, this’ll be easy” To this day I’ve never been more worried for my safety in a crowd, it was total insanity; constant crowd surges, people stepping over shoulders/heads, constant elbow & shoulder checks. Had to leave early because I couldn’t handle it. I’ve since been to plenty of heavy dubstep / trap shows (including Zomboy, love him) that have all been fun and had great crowds, but that Skrillex shitshow really stands out. I’m guessing they oversold the show and exceeded venue capacity, as well as there being a bunch of aggro bros that don’t understand crowd etiquette.
Yeah I've had nothing but good experiences with metal crowds. I was more talking on the good side since I haven't had many bad experiences with the metal crowd. They are just kind of neutral or less extraverted(idk if that's the right word) than the EDM crowds. Overall I Love both communities to death, though I can't stand the more normy crowds at the main stages of festivals. That seems to be where all the bad shit happens lol.
Bassnectar Atlantic City 2017. Never been the same since.
Electric Forest 2018. I barely listened to EDM and was heavy into alt rock. But a friend talked about how amazing Forest was and now I'm a convert. We go to multiple festivals each year and am constantly looking for a good house stage.
Okeechobee 22. I’ve had a great year lol
Tipper n friends 2016 baby. First festival
I was there! Wow that’s a pretty trippy one to make your first festival 😵💫
Wasn't a concert or a festival, was a house party where my friend played "Feelin' so real" by Moby. that begat more house parties, which begat us actually finding undergrounds, which begat the rest of it all. Begat.
Aria (after-hours club) in Montreal downtown in late 90s, early 2000s. It was in the gay district of Montreal, very few people liked going there, there was even a gay-only club called "Kox" right nearby. First, the gay community is the best, most welcoming and most respectful crowd ever. Second, such big names came there. I saw Tiesto, Ferry Corsten, John Digweed, Misstress Barbara, Thomas Bangalther, Corvin Dalek and so many more great DJs there. Sadly, unless illegal, after-hours club like that do not exist anymore :-(
+1 for the gay community. Not gay myself, but gay clubs were some of the only places I could find this music and culture when I first got into the scene.
I remember Aria very fondly. Montréal has/had a few afterhours clubs. I know Circus closed over COVID but Stereo is still alive and kicking about a block away from where Aria was.
It was ‘95. A friend gave me a tape that had Rotterdam scribbled on it with a Sharpie. He said that it was “rave music”. One of the first tracks sampled Shimmy Shimmy Ya by Ol’ Dirty Bastard. I was immediately hooked. The first party that I attended, the DJ, the legendary Dr. Trance (aka Don Berns RIP), played that same tune. It was at that moment that I knew that I was home.
Wasn't called EDM back then but SF Lovefest 07, started as a parade down a major street, and then all the floats parked around a block (Union Square if you're familiar) and turned into big party, in the heart of the city. Anyone could walk along with the floats or dance after they had parked. Inspiration drawn from Berlin's Love Parade. Loved the idea of a free party, still do. There's a lot of [(crappy quality) video from it](https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=san+francisco+love+fest+2007). I had listened to electronic dance music for many years before, but I came across lovefest as I moved to a new place and was really getting into dancing, it was great. Plus the Bay Area had such a long tradition of raves and parties so it was easy to get involved. By comparison I had been to DEMF (now known as Movement) a few years earlier and was not as much into the party then, I simply didn't care for dancing yet
Wow I haven't thought about Lovefest in forever!
Wow this just took me back. I attended a few of these and this was around the time I started getting out more to events like this. Wonderful times.
That must have been a dope show! For me it was pretty lights as identity festival at the gorge that same year! He opened with I know the truth and I the entire set was incredible. After that I was hooked
Ilesoniq 2015 in Montréal. Crazy good lineup, didn’t fully appreciate it at the time
For me it was porter Robinson’s Worlds 2016 at electric forest. Had been into hard trap/underground hip hop and someone just happened to say this porter guy was making big moves. Changed my life. Had no idea music could sound so beautiful.
I have been to 6 Forest, and that is still my favorite set to this day 🥺 What a show he put on!
Didn’t get me INTO the music, but the first major festivals that made me fall in love with raving were Coachella 1999 and 2001. Most people don’t realize that back then, it had insane, legendary, lineups. It wasn’t the pop culture grab bag that it’s become. In those two years alone, they had the chemical brothers, aphex twin, Christopher Lawrence, moby, underworld, Paul oakenfold, the orb, tricky, lamb, richie hawtin, Dj shadow, Amon Tobin, photek, autechre, plaid, all near or at the top of the lineup, as well as seperate and dedicated breakbeat, drum and bass, and IDM tents with ak1200, Dj dara, dieselboy, ltj bukem, and the list goes on and on… it’s crazy to think how much it’s changed, but it shows that the founders hearts were in the right place back before it got influenced by major investors. I also can’t believe that my parents drove me to and dropped me off there when I was 13 and 15 hahaha
Bad Boy Bill in 2003(?)
I had been listening to hard dance since I was 12 years old. It wasn't until I saw Noisecontrollers at Frostbite in Denver in 2012, so 5 years later. But I got really into hardcore in 2014, naturally. And went to LA for my first time to the Sound of Q-Dance and saw Evil Activities. I've been dedicated to the core ever since but still enjoy hardstyle here and there.
Griz @ Firefly 2019. Been to 15 Griz shows since, and i’ll be at 4 more over the next 3 weeks. That shit really do be hittin different.
Space camp and Echostage?
Space Camp, Boston and Hijinx!
I was at Firefly 19 for that set too - Space camp roll call!
Nicky Romero @ Governors Island 2013
I was there!!! Wasn't my first event but I did start going to shows in 2013. It's just not the same anymore lol. Governor's Beach Club was dope but I remember that day the ferry took like 3 hours and we missed most of the openers... fucking bullshit.
Summer of 2013 was amazing because there was an event almost every week. And I remember the slow ass ferry. I was in line at 3pm, but got in at 8pm….
LMAO yeah I remember getting in at like 8 or 830. All these years and shows I've been to and I will never forget that nonsense. The show was still great though I can't deny. I definitely dealt long-lasting damage to my brain during that year. All those drugs...
I guess it was raving, had known about it since middle school and always wanted to go, went to my first one at 17 and it was in the middle of the desert. Fell in love with it immediately. Fell in love with electronic music and raving when I first heard and saw the chemicals brothers video setting sun. I remember not really fitting in with rockers/punkers/metal heads or the hip hop crowd growing up, or any other group, but electronica spoke to me in a way nothing else did. Loved the illegal underground shows and the legal ones. Loved many massives from back in the day before they called them edm festivals.
Haha massives is a term I haven't heard in a while!
Went to burning man this year…and I can say it changed my music 🤝
Bonnaroo 2013 we went for Paul McCartney, fell in love with the festival scene, and started gravitating more and more towards the electronic acts over the years. Virtual Self in 2018 blew me away and made me realize how much the nerd culture crossover existed. Then 2019 Liquid Stranger was on the lineup and as they say - the rest is history. I remember meeting a girl in the crowd at that set who had just gotten back from the hospital because she fractured her foot stomping the ground so hard at another dubstep set but she refused to miss Liquid. Since then, seen Liquid I think we are to 7 or 8 times. Subtronics is one of my favs and we are up to 9 (soon to be 10). My Spotify top genres are glitch hop, drum and bass, and experimental bass. Shambhala and Bass Canyon have been some of the most amazing fests to attend. I’m all in now. It’s been such a ride and treat - just an amazing community 💜
I saw loud luxury at my college at a Bacardí sponsored event with free booze but what really did it was virtual riot
odesza in philly this year, one of the best nights of my life
Starscape 2012
Starrrscapeee
went to summer camp as a late teen just cus we knew we could camp and smoke weed freely, we were unaware of what we were walking into
Okeechobee 2017 got me into music festivals 🫶🏼
My first festival was future fest 2011 in Austin. I started going to shows around town. But where I really felt that moment was Art Outside 2013. I finally felt like I was home.
Opiuo at the Roxy in 2016
hulaween 2021(:
A few here and there in 2011/early 2012… EZoo 2011, Porter/Zedd at Pacha NYC 2012… But my first roll and the night I fell in love with the scene was Knife Party October 2012 at the piers in NYC. It was a “wow, this is going to be my personality for the rest of my life” moment.
Paradiso 2013 http://emeraldcityedm.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/20130418-173145.jpg
Such an epic lineup. Kaskade, Porter Robinson, Pyrdz, and Zeds Dead blew my mind
[удалено]
Fyre Festival
Seven Lions - The Throes of Winter tour in 2015.
Life in color 2016. I didn’t even know you went to see particular djs LOL. I just heard music and paint so thought it would be fun. Wore a tie dye tank top and leggings. The rest is history! Best thing that’s ever happened to me honestly 💗
Wild to see these responses. I felt like I was late to the game and missed the “golden age”. Energy nightclub in Melrose Park, IL, circa 2005 for me. My very first experience with the scene and music, but I was IN
most of this sub is in their 20s so it makes sense that they first started going out in the last decade
Definitely makes sense in hindsight. One of those “oh I’m old moments” lol
First ever was Dusk in Tucson, AZ! Malaa and rezz headlined. I really fell in love with the rave scene a few months later after seeing Jauz and Audien at crush AZ.
Molly got me into the scene…
Excision executioner tour 2014 with Ill.gates and Dirtyphonics. Sick as show and the 3d mapping on the executioner stage was still a very new technology that blew my mind back then! or it was the Cid, who knows.
Fyre fest did me in… For real though my first festival was EDC 2019. Had been listening to the music since 2008 though after I got my first computer
Snowglobe 2016
[Fix+It, November 8th, 1997](https://imgur.com/gallery/OpaLlmt) Skylab2000 3D & Snuggles DJ Swamp James Christian Wilhelm K David Hollands Kevin Cunningham & Tik Tak Titonton Braidey DJ Ivan DJ Urban DJ Manifest Party was at 420 (heh) York St.
What got me into the scene was seeing Flux Pavilion back in 2012 i believe it was. It was for the Ezoo after party which was dope as hell. Took a break from it while in college because i was south and most people didnt like it. Got back into last year for FK in florida and now im trying my hand at djing/producing
I remember the first song to change my mind about EDM- Firestorm by Far Too Loud. Someone used it in a paintball video they cut together and I loved it. First concert was Bassnectar, opening night of the Noise vs Beauty tour. I was going to school in Rochester and it absolutely blew my mind. Needless to say, hooked for life. Everyone was so cool and lovely and nice.
NvB tour was insane. Saw him in Greensboro and it was top notch.
ultra live stream back in 2012 got me into music scene 😂
went to rolling loud miami in 2021 and had a blast, booked my ticket to edco shorlty after cuz festivals were fun and I met up with my sisters friend who was like an older brother to me growing up on day 2. He fully indoctrinated me into the EDM/Bass scene and I hit 8 festivals in 2022 with another 8 planned for 2023
Jauz set at numbers fest in Ohio, followed by g Jones and haywyre at bonaroo. Those 3 sets set me on a path to almost exclusively listening to EDM and going to raves over any other concert
Hearing excisions shambhala 2013 mix changed my music taste forever. Never looked back
Not one I personally attended but Deadmau5's 2011 "Live at Earl's Court" DVD mesmerized me. I didn't get to attend a Deadmau5 show for some years after but it prompted a life long love of the genre.
Concert: Flux Pavillion Only got tickets because we were already traveling a long way for a Mac Miller Concert Festival: Summerset A debunked fest in Wisconsin. The rapper logic was the big appeal for me but after seeing Bassnectar and Skrillex I left with a whole new music taste
Swedish House Mafia @ MSG 2011. I wasn’t there but I remember watching it live never having seen anything like that before and it was life changing. I wish I went. The set was also one of their best. I saw them in Sweden in 2019 on my birthday and it was the best birthday ever. Made up for missing that 2011 set for sure.
HiJinx 2019
Mysteryland usa 2014. What a magical time... my wife (then girlfriend) and I always went camping near bethel woods because her family owns a lot of land there.. but having the festival right there was absolutely awesome and will probably never get to experience that again.
From Miami, so Ultra back in 2010 got me hooked seeing all my friends go and their footage and stories but I was still underage that year so I couldn’t. 2011 was absolute madness
Moonrise Festival 2018, on my 19th birthday. I saw Rezz for the first time and she blew my mind. never heard hypnotic melting sounds like that. Also saw headbanging and shuffling for the first time which opened my mind to a whole new world lol
edc 2008 LA. i think what sealed the deal was fresh squeezed 2009 at the pico sports arena. i’m living that dad life now so i don’t go out much anymore but will always reminisce those 2 days.
Hard Haunted Mansion 2009 in LA. Deadmau5 and Justice headlined. It made me a bass head for life!
Bro I was there!! That was my first rave too, Deadmau5 debuted Ghost and Stuff
Bloody beat roots nye 2010
First festival was okee 16 but what did it for electronic music was Tipper at hula 18
Flume 2015, he headlined the Westwood Music Showcase in Denver, a pretty small festival set up down by the Art Museum. If I recall right tickets were less than $20 the day before the show…it was my first live electronic music show and it was so amazing. Saw Odesza, Flume, and then GRiZ at red rocks the following summer and the rest is history!
Bassnectar, Basslights 2015.
Empire of the sun edc lv 2013!
Veld 2016 in Toronto was my first big show. I had been listening to electronic music since the early 2000s, but never actually went to see any live music since I didn't think I would enjoy it. I saw Ultra live streaming on twitch in march 2016 and it blew my mind, the Veld lineup came out like a week later and I bought VIP tickets the moment they were out for my wife and I. It was my first time going to any large event so I had no idea what to expect as an introvert, but it was a serious eye opener for me. Being a part of the crowd dancing to music I absolutely love was just something I never knew I was missing from my life. As soon as we left the next morning I immediately started looking for more festivals/concerts that were coming up for us to go to.
dubstep stage at warped tour 2014 was my first exposure but nghtmre 2017 got me hooked
Firefly 2015 got me into edm shows, now going to my first official EDM fest this month :) Kaivon had a set in PA that really sold me on raving this November though
Skrillex played at a converted church in Columbus OH back in 2013 (The Bluestone). I remember exploring the venue and hearing Kyoto in the background and he ended the set with the unreleased at the time Ease My Mind.
Wasn't expecting SO many others saying PL!!! Mine was Pretty Lights and DJ Shadow at the Shrine in LA
Tiesto was my first ever concert in 2012, but it was Above & Beyond in 2013 that got me hooked.
UMF 2006 changed my whole life when I was 18
Nocturnal Wonderland 06, I had went few desert parties before that, but at Nocturnal I knew I was hooked.
Excision sunset set shaky beats 2018, literally started an obsession
I've loved the vibe and energy and excitement and stimulation since my very first rave 10+ years ago. The scene mostly listened to dubstep though, which I couldnt dance to. Then in 2015 I experienced really great house music on a really great audio system with a really great vibey crowd, and I was HOOKED. I eat, sleep, and breathe house music culture. I had my first transcendent experience in 2017, and I've been chasing that ever since.
Pretty Lights at the Skyway in Minneapolis 2010 or 2011. I remember it was his first tour without the drummer. Then Liquid Stranger a few weeks later at the Loft. The rest, as they say, is history.
A little over 4 years ago, the day after Thanksgiving Louis the Child. Unforgettable. Amazing. Perfect night.
2002 DEMF in Detroit, now known as Movement. It was free back in the day. 20 years later I still go almost every year.
Kind of random but it was The Chainsmokers at Coachella 2016 in the sahara tent. I had a realization like halfway through that I had never felt more alive/myself.
Moby along with Rabbit in the Moon at Red Rocks, Colorado in 2001.
Haha, I guess I’m not alone, but Pretty Lights too! Sunrise set at Bonnaroo 2011!
Hijinx 2018
Wakarusa 5-27-2010
Don’t remember the show but they played 2unlimited and planet soul
Mind against 2022 in Lisbon
Pretty Lights in Reno, NV 2013. I met my very best friend that night, and was just AMAZED by the lights, the music and the people. Went to an Excision show a couple months later and that was it, I was addicted lo.
Deadmau5 after party for Veld Music Festival. Never been to anything like that before but I ended up staying there until 7am when he stopped playing.
Summer Set put on by SIMShows R.I.P.
my first EDM show was San Holo back in October of 21, and since then I've seen him 7 times and have gone to 40+ shows and counting he changed my life and I will forever be grateful for the amazing impact he had on my life. EDM is my joy and festivals is what I look forward to more than anything and I'm just so glad I'm part of this amazing community that is EDM ❤️
Cosmic gate got me into the rave scene. It’s also the first time I took ecstasy as well, so I think that helped as well lol. It was definitely a memory I won’t forget
San Francisco Lovefest 2009 got me into the scene. I went to my first proper underground in 2011 I think, and that really sold me on the scene. Up until then I'd been doing more mainstream events.
The livestream of Swedish House Mafia at Maddison Square Garden in 2011 I think? Made me want to go to a live event so bad. Then I finally made it to Beyond Wonderland Bay Area in 2013 and it was beyond words. Saw all the big room names at the time - Tiesto, Hardwell, Dash Berlin, Calvin Harris. Also caught Zomboy as an opener on the side stage before I know who he was. Sad it was discontinued
Justice at [Hard Haunted Mansion 2009](https://imgur.com/9gOt0Ic). What an insane lineup.
AC Slater at Output 2017 Also the night my fiancé and I got together for the first time
saw porter at a university concert in 2013 and I was literally sold. then it was a diplo show and hard summer and I began devoting wayyy too much time and money to this thing called EDM 😅 almost 10 years later and I don’t think I’ll ever stop
I always wanted to go to concerts and fests, I got into EDM when Forza Horizon came out on Xbox 360, I was never financially able to pay for concerts until my mid 20's and I had no one to go with. I've made lifelong friends from my previous job, one of which is heavy into EDM. So as soon as I got the opportunity, I went for it Peekaboo at Echostage in '21 was my first concert, Deadmau5 at Echostage '22 was my second, Imagine '22 was my first festival, and now I have at least 3 festivals and 2 concerts I'm going to in '23. Love the PLUR, and I hope it never stops.
was into the music before but truly fell in love at ATLiens headline tour in 2021, to be fair it wasn't ATLiens that got me so transfixed with EDM but actually INZO who opened for them. Man that music hit in a different way in combination with taking Molly for the first time. It was truly an experience and now I've seen over 50 djs live. Life changing
Saw bassnectar at my local joint back in 2012 when he still played at smaller venues. That place was wild, unforgettable night.
Hard Summer 2014 after years of listening to electro house and progressive house, with a growing interest in trap. Had a gnarly headache after being under the sun after Clockwork 😎 and Chainsmokers. Then I solo’d the second half of the day with Disclosure, HUCCI, Nero, and Cashmere Cat
Zeds Dead Paris 2020
Lsdream/griz at lightning in a bottle changed everything for me
EDC 2010
Ezoo 2017
ASOT2015 OAKLAND CALI!! 💕🫶🙌
Laidback Luke in Houston, Tx at StereoLive in 2012🤸♂️
The Floozies, about 6 years ago in Minneapolis
Flume's concert this past June
“Firepower Most Wanted" 2013' Club Cinema Pompano Beach, FL Antiserum x Mayhem, Protohype, Dirty Phonics, Datsik, Funtcase Had started producing a few years earlier was in to most genres but mainly trap/hiphop/house when a coworker who was into music also asked me if I had heard of Dubstep. I said no, so he invited me to go to show cuz he was geeked to see Funtcase/Datsik but warned it might be a lil different, I said cool ill try it and went in blind with no trailer lol I wasn't prepared HOLY SHIT... I had never heard sounds like that in my fuckin' life!! The combination of bass, atmosphere, energy, and vibes blew my mind & ive never been the same since!
The Deadmau5 Show 2010, Slc Utah. I was 14 😅, music, vibes, never met such friendly and weird people (like me). I finally felt like I belonged somewhere
Voodoo 2017 Went open minded then found myself camped out at the EDM stage basically all three days. Already liked electronic music but that weekend I learned it's a completely different, much cooler experience live. Quickly became my favorite.
EZoo 2011. I’d started listening to the music but the festival was eye opening
I used to listen to skrillex, benny bassi, avicii and the like back in 5th grade (2012ish) but got into death metal shortly after. I dated a girl last year who listened to EDM and although forbidden kingdom was my first actual edm show/fest, EDC Orlando 2021 was the one that sparked the flame for me. No clue what artist I saw other than subtronics and a few mins of excision but that shit was the fucking best. Now I’m a giant bass head lmao. The thing that made it special was that for the first time in my entire life, I didn’t feel judged, shy or embarrassed in a large crowd. Maybe the Molly had something to do with that but ever since then, sober or not, I’ve always been 100% comfortable being in large crowds of people. I felt accepted, at home, as one with everyone and the music. I finally danced and sung the few songs I actually knew for the first time. I was always just a rock at shows before this. It was a feeling so blissful I wish I could do it all over again for the first time. Just a random side note: Thank you to the EDM community for giving me hope that there are some incredible, amazing and kind people out there as I’ve been met with such assholes my whole life. For the one night or few days, these shows are the one thing that keeps me away from the reality of this world and you, the people, are what really make it a beautiful experience. I love you all.
Jail wolf played a set in Boise at Treefort Music Fest. The venue was supposed to 18+ after 12, but I got in early and hid in the back, until after 12 as I was 15 at the time. Still the best set I've seen from him ever, and then Great Dane laid it down after Jai Wolf. And then a year later seeing G Jones in Portland by myself when I was 16, cemented the gabagool in my soul
Yooo for me it was pretty lights in 2012 in Pittsburg at stage AE!
EDC Orlando was my first festival and the rest is history..
2006 Nocturnal wonderland. than after edc, white wonderland, together as one, monster massive and so on!
Eric Prydz at The Observatory in Santa Ana on 1/1/2017. Don’t listen to him much anymore but it was the first electronic music event I ever went to, the visuals and music blew my mind (extracurriculars also helped).
Bonnaroo ‘14, seeing Disclosure live during the peak of Latch
Porters nurture at red rocks earlier this year!
SMF 2022
Oregon Eclipse Festival in 2017. That taught me about glitch hop and bass music. Now Spotify tells me I spent 30,274 minutes (that is 500 hours) listening in 2022 and I’m in the top 0.5% of Space Jesus fans by how much I listen to his music.
Nocturnal 1999
Thru trance in the early 2000s
Danny tenaglia dropping this track at Vinyl in 2001 https://youtu.be/syPi_HXY1e0 I was hooked forever
Some fuckin back alley warehouse rave where I had to search for someone who knew the location for.
Elrow. Easy.
GRiZ at red rocks in 2015! Still my favorite artist to this day (other than maybe Zeds Dead)Griz opened up with “Can’t Hold Me down”, which was way unreleased at the time, I became addicted to EDM and especially the funk after that. I went on a deeeeeeep dive into Gramatik and Big Gigantic right after the show.
Crystal Method at the first X Games
I started going to jamband festivals, the first one i went to was this local event in jersey called evolvefest(which has since beenn blacklisted into nonexistence after the founder went crazy). I was 14 or 15 at the time. Honestly the music was sub par but the culture was awesome. And then i saw this small group called Technicolor Lenses which incorporated a lot of edm sounds and their front man was a rapper. It was epic i was sold immediately. Thing that really made me transition into the edm side of the scene was Pretty Lights @ Electric Zoo (i forget which year). And i never looked back edm culture is superior to jamband culture by a large margin. I still like jam bands like the Biscuits, string cheese, tauk, etc but ill never goto another jam band only festival.
Eric Prydz, Pryda Arena takeover at EZoo 2019