Answered prayer: two free tickets to Fall Massive- the biggest EDM event to ever hit DC. Why did I want to go? Three simple reasons:

• Why wouldn't I want to go? They had a few quality people on the lineup and this city never hosts club nights worth attending. 
• I've lived in DC for almost five years and I know very little about the music scene here. I've been hoping for ways to connect without breaking my wallet. Since this is my last year here, it's time to check it out.
• Cultural study. I'm a nerd. Events like this are great cultural studies, and since I particularly like cross cultural analysis. I thought it would be fun to mentally examine the biggest EDM event to hit DC in comparison with my experiences in clubs elsewhere- particularly in Ibiza- and at other concerts in Pennsylvania or DC.

When I won tickets to the event from the 9:30, the obvious answer was to go. After some prodding and name dropping that Moby would be there, I convinced my roommate to come her "first rave".

Needless to say, it was a great night. How could it not be? But since I can't seem to experience anything without some analysis, here is the first of two or three blog posts recapping the event.

This one is purely observational. Here is a list of fifty random thoughts from last night in no particular order.

1.  My instinctive saying when pushing through the crowd in order to get from point A to point B... "excuse me, mate" Eh? That's weird.
2. Atmosphere is seemingly everything. The venue looked amazing: tents, lights, fog, a giant castle... it looked like a night to remember. But, the music has to deliver or it's just another eye catching visual.
3. People like glow-sticks. I have NEVER seen that many glowsticks in my life. Thousands of discarded neon tubes on the floor.
4. I thought the glow light gloves were cool.. for about an hour. Now, I never want to see one again. 
5. There are way too many 14-17 year old kids in the District with fake ids. 
6. Most of the underage high school kids gravitate toward dub step. They see it as an appropriate opportunity to mosh and smoke weed. 
7. Americans love weed. There was definitely more pot at this event than any I have ever attended. [It reminds me of a bit of concerts in PA. The smoking ban in DC might explain why most venues here don't reek of pot.]
8. Occasionally, people do cheat on their drug of choice with E. And last night, there were lots of affairs. 
9. Two addition observations regarding ecstasy: I have a theory. I think MDMA drugs are stronger in Europe, but purer in the US. I have never taken any form of MDMA, but simply by observing behavior and reaction, I wonder if this is true. 
10. It annoys me that events like this sell pacifiers at their merch tables.
11. Apparently vapor rub inhalers and inhaling vapor rub through bandanas is really popular in club culture in the States. I had no idea.
12. One last drug related observation: it so refreshing not to see widespread ket use!
13. Police have no control; I saw tons of cops, standing around doing absolutely nothing with drug use five feet from them. [Not that I expected more]
14. The VIP tent was virtually empty all night. Why not just have VIP areas in each of the staging areas? 
15. People like to throw things. Never have I been covered in so many drinks. 
16. Septum piercings are the in thing. 
17. Cooler weather at an outdoor events doesn't stop girls from showing up wearing nothing but their bras, underwear, and some ridiculous shoes.
18. Those same girls will wonder why they are being treated like skanks.
19. No one dresses up for events like this. They just remove clothing. My jeans and a tshirt attire was a little overdressed. #forgettingitsnovember
20. Portions of animal costumes are okay though. Tons of those. 
21. I still maintain that dancing itself is different in the US music scenes; can't explain why though. Something about which beat is followed. I would love to do a formal study of this.
22. Though, I think hardcore EDM fans tend to dance more similarly to Europeans. I noticed people who seemed to know the tunes (screaming track names or singing along) had a tendency to dance to the beat of the bass. Whereas other people seemed to dance to the overlaying beats or melodies.
23. Perhaps that is more an issue with familiarity than culture? For some reason this really interests me. 
24. I wish I would have tried to get a job with a music venue or radio station in college. Too late?
25. Nights like last night are excellent opportunities for prayer and worship. The harder I pray, the harder I dance.
26. It's fun trying to explain why I pray and what I pray for to other people. For the record, I pray for specific people, for some of the issues I see around me, through some of the lyrics (like last night Bare played a song about the End of Times being here), for God to reveal himself, for safety, sometimes just in the Spirit... I pray for a lot of things.
27. Still convinced that the Church can learn a lot from the EDM scene.
28. Also, I maintain that nightlife culture- especially near urban areas and universities is one of the most overlooked and strategic places to connect with young adults.
29. It saddens me that people in ministry, myself included.. overlook this demographic.
30. Now more than ever, I'm convinced I'm supposed to play a role in helping to bridge the gap between those who enjoy a good party and those who love Jesus. 
31. I'm proud to know people  who are reaching out to their communities by praying for them, serving them, and dancing with them. [My friends in Ibiza, Ireland, Northern Ireland, England... thanked God for you last night]
32. Speaking of Ibiza reminds me of messes. The States hides messes better. All our sick or passed out people were quickly drug away to a first aid tent. 
33. I'm not sure whether to be more thankful that events like this do have first aid tents to look after those who need help. Or to be more irritated with that the tents primarily exist to diminish public spectacle. 
34. When the event is over, people are still sent on their way without further help unless they have responsible friends or desperately need a hospital. 
35. If I go to an event like this sick, I should wear earplugs. And, should use my inhaler. I feel ten times rougher today than I did yesterday.
36. Portable potties are ten times more disgusting after midnight. #spilled beer. #vomit 
37. Food and drinks were so cheap last night! $3 for gatorade! $11 for a corn dog and cheese fries. For a music festival, those are great prices.
38. The District is high class in food carts. What clubs or festivals sell pad thai?
39. What is with the word RAGE? so many "Rage all night" t-shirts? "Rage" is a form of anger. "All the rage" is an idiom meaning very popular. A rage is a not party; that would be a rave. You RAVE all night long. 
40. Saying "good night" to every event staff member on the way to the metro makes each of them smile. Take a moment to acknowledge people; it makes a difference.
41. I'm good at networking. Slash. God is good at bringing people together. Guess who met people who do music promotions and host EDM events in New England last night? [hello Boston, maybe?]
42. When someone asks me who my favorite artists are in a genre, I instantly blank regardless of the genre. I could tell my new friend what type of music I listen to, but couldn't name many artists. I probably need to start buying music rather than listening to Pandora. #fail
43. I suck at live tweeting. Sorry symph! 
44. The greatest moment of the night was seeing Armand Van Helden of Duck Sauce bust out The Big Bad Wolf! Despite the fact that its his tune, the moment doesn't compare to seeing Annie Mac play it in Amnesia.
45. The difference was the crowd response. The tent was half empty and the crowd didn't seem to know the song. DC doesn't know dance music well enough to attract the same type of crowds.
46. It didn't help that Infected Mushroom was in the next tent. One critique of the event was the fact that all the decent acts were playing at the same time in different tents and it was a little difficult to get from one tent to the other.
47. My roommate really likes Moby. She pushed to the very front of the crowd. Who knew? 
48. I wasn't impressed with Moby's set. Why? For the same reason, some of the dub step acts annoyed me. Why? Well, it was a little monotonous. Unless the crowd response is incredible, you can't play the same sequence over and over again. Though, it could just be the wrong crowd sorta thing. 
49. If you look down at the ground, you may find sunglasses. I left with two extra pair. 
50. When part of the fun of the night is making observations like these and dreaming of ways to do more cultural studies, you know you have issues. 

Well, that's enough of that. Any thoughts on my randomness? I'll be back as soon to share some more coherent thoughts. [But first I have a few homework assignments to tackle]