Another festival has been called off due to drug overdoses and the risks apparently associated with throwing a dance music event; however, this time it was preemptively cancelled. Life in Color, which was scheduled to throw its famous paint party in Malaysia on April 19, has announced on Facebook that out of respect for the country, people, and those directly affected by the deaths at Future Music Festival they will be canceling the upcoming event.
Future Music Festival made the arduous decision last week to cancel the third and final day of the festival in Malaysia following several fatal drug overdoses. Life in Color, without directly acknowledging the tragedy at MF, notified fans on March 18 of the April 19th cancelation due to the “unfortunate events” of the previous weekend.
This isn’t the first time dance music events have been canceled in advance for fear of overdoses; UMASS became infamous for its cancelation of EDM shows last fall. Unfortunately however, I predict this also won’t be the last.
This is the electronic music generation- it is both a great and yet a very sad time for dance music. As the music exponentially becomes more popular, as more and more people fall in love with our culture, the risks will continue to rise. Canceling an event a month in advance for fear of drug overdoses is both understandable and yet so absurd. It’s unfair to the thousands of responsible fans who were eager to attend, and yet a blessing in disguise to the few who were bound to make impulsive mistakes.
