well, now that im off of the toilet long off to give me review and 2 cents, well here goes....
first off i have to say i think this is the most well organized and well thought out event ive experienced in the US. The GM crews attention to detail and preparedness was exceptional. The deco was superb and well thought out. The lineups flow was exceptionally well crafted, with every act having a near seamless transition, and all performers brought their A game to the show. and i feel that the GM crew have truly earned their rep as the premere US psy event.
Now that being said, i thought the chill stage needed a little help. The unbalanced sound with subs only on 1 side was a bit awkward. Even more awkward though was the lack of actual chilling space. 1 word, carpets. I want to be able to sit and enjoy chill out, and while the few hamocks were nice, most people ended parking their asses in the dirt. Additionally as i think Derek brought up, the overall chill area was nicely done up with stretch art and the like, however the stage itself was rather bland. It had the serious feeling of being almost done as a afterthought, and with the Ultimae lineup that was on that stage, it was certainly anything but a afterthought.
As for the trance, like i said above, the acts were exceptional. However being exceptionally perfect doesnt always mean that a certain sound or style is going to trip someones trigger per per say, and i found myself not quite getting what i personally want in music. This is by no means a complaint on the music at all, just alot of it didnt quite do it for me. However i did love almost all the prog i heard played, esp. Solarfields and Tony Unorthodox. Just superb for both of them. I also enjoyed Dragon, Freedom and Coral. Coral being the only dj that played morning full on.
The energy on the dancefloor itself never seemed to dip or wane much, which in itself is freaking awsome. Midwest people take note. Yes you can dance late into the morning in high humidity and sunlight. It is possible...... ya, pussys. J/K i love you.... However though packed with smiling faces, i struggled to find a pocket of people to dance with whose vibe clicked with mine. I found myself more just roaming the dancefloor, or standing at the back of it with Scott and Gor, doing the arms crossed, DJ head-nod thing. Again i guess nothing to really blame the event on, just me not finding personally what i was looking for.
Aside from the music though the weekend had some very magical moments. The sat night storm with the lightning strike. (which ever dj was playing then has balls of steel,{ i think it was Lauryn}
as soon as the storm got that close, id have shut it down and jumped away from that 40,000 watt lighting rod). I also enjoyed meeting some great new people, connecting deeper with ones i already knew, and re-establishing connections with some with old friends.
As for the plauge. I got it monday night, and while thankfully i have close to a near super human constitution, and was able to work thru it in a night, it freaking sucked. There are numerous theories as to the origin or cause, and i cant really expand on any of them, except i think its certainly something to do with the venue. Ground water contamination perhaps. I didnt eat the meal plan, drink any of the coffee or tea, or swim in the river, but did take a shower. Also learning about 2 previous events at 4q where there was a illness outbreak, albeit on a much smaller scale, raises alot of flags. The response of the property owners to the situation as well was one of being very defensive. I watched a friend of mine get yelled at by them for making a questioning statement that was overheard, and she was accused of insighting a panic.
What the hell is that? .... Sorry, but i think the venue needs a heavy handed visit from the man, so maybe they can get their heads screwed back on strait.
So all in all it was a (g)ood weekend, and worth the trip just to have the experiance.
