As the Halloween festivities start winding down, we can’t help but to reflect on the wild ride the halloween season has been for EDM. Events around the country all payed their tribute to the freakiest time of the year, but which one was the best? Although we could not attend them all, our eyes are paticularly on the chaos that was USC Events’ Freaknight Festival. The two-day event bore witness to the likes of Afrojack, Calvin Harris, Nicky Romero, Hardwell, Claude Von Stroke, Deorro, and countless others.
Accompanying an all-star line up was an array of festival rides, carnies, art, and a unparalleled visual production as the icing on the cake. Although Freaknight Festival had both stunning visuals and beautiful music, those alone do not make a festival the overall best. It’s not about how big and extravagant a festival can get, its the people who define the best event.
With that said, Freaknight Festival proved that as a scene, we can act as a fully functioning community. With the eyes of the mainstream media scouring for molly-related incidents, the local police department rumored to have undercover people on the floor, and the overall anxiety that comes with a 20,000+ person event, Freaknight Festival held strong against the watchful eyes of external powers. Before the event even began, USC Events released a video message to their Freaknight Attendees asking for their help in keeping Freaknight safe. 
And the people heard them. The stereotypes I had come to associate with bigger events, such as people selling molly, people out of control on drugs, and the overly aggressive sweaty guy, had seemed to vanish both nights of Freaknight. Ok, the overly aggressive sweaty dude was still there, but other then that, the vibe had completely changed, and instead respect and community filled its void. Although there were a few incidents, Freaknight went off spectacularly well and it only happened because of the symbiotic respect shared between USC Events and their fans.
And as the fans paid their respect, USC answered in kind. With such a diverse lineup, each set was a new story each time and did not blend together in a lullaby of top 40 songs. Granted, some artists did play several of the same songs, but overall the diversity of sound heard throughout the three different stages was both refreshing and exciting. With personal favorites such as Boys Noize, Jack Beats, and Deorro, it was hard to leave feeling disappointed. I tip my hat to both USC Events and Freaknight attendees. Job well done.
I mean…the line-up was good, the production was insane. However, saying that USC respects it’s customers is bullshit. Being a USC customer for 4 years, they have always charged ridiculously high for water, it wasn’t until Paradiso2013 when someone died from dehydration that they put “the message” in. They really do not care about hydration, they care about the façade of hydration – point being, camelbaks were not allowed, mine was taken when I was filling it with water and I was told that people have been smuggling in booze, and there I was filling up an empty camel bak. They’re just another company trying to get by on spending the least amount of money possible for the safety of their clients.
You also have to understand, that as an event promoter, you anticipate making a decent amount of your money through beverage sales. Before when it was rock concerts and not EDM people paid $5 a beer and got wasted in a night. People at EDM events don’t drink alcohol usually.. sales take a huge hit. So, what do people at EDM events drink? WATER. So any decent businessman is going to make that connection and hike up water prices. It sucks, but it’s been happening for years. At least 10 years or so for as long as I’ve been raving. I’ve been to clubs where they turn the water off in the bathroom so you can’t refill a bottle. So don’t knock an event promoter from doing normal practices. In the recent years EDM events have gotten huge. It’s just not right to charge for water anymore because it’s too dangerous to do that. So they made a change. I’ve never heard of anyone suffering from heat related incidents at raves where drugs weren’t also involved. So.. let’s not forget why we really need the water in the first place.
Thank you Your EDM! Here is the link to see more about FREE water at FreakNight, and how we’re providing this at all future USC Festivals: http://www.bit.ly/1gc9W1x
Thank you Your EDM! Here is the link to see more about FREE water at FreakNight, and how we’re providing this at all future USC Festivals: http://www.bit.ly/1gc9W1x