Enjoy!

Fine, that’s great. I don’t have any health issues that require me to see the same doctor repeatedly over a long period of time. In fact, this is possibly better, because I can use walk-in clinics. If I need something, I can go the same day. There’s never a wait, there’s always one nearby. If I get assigned a doctor, the chances they’ll be as convenient as using a walk-in clinic is virtually nil.

And while I don’t need continuous tests or observation, I do have a prescription. Because I use a walk-in clinic and don’t have a family doctor, they’ll only give me ONE refill at a time. This means that every month, I’m back at the walk-in clinic, spending an hour of my life waiting, so the doctor can spend 30 seconds writing me a prescription. If I had a family doctor, they’d write me a year at a time and I’d be on my way, but because I don’t see the same doctor every time, they can’t (and won’t) do that. Because, y’know, whether you’ve been gifted a doctor or not makes SUCH a huge difference.

And then the Ontario government unveiled this awesome new plan where your pharmacist can renew your prescription for you, right on the spot. This is awesome! Now instead of spending an hour at the clinic and another half an hour at the pharmacy, I can skip the clinic all together and just get my pharmacist to renew my prescription!

So I tried it today. I walked into my pharmacy; “So, you guys can renew prescriptions, right?” “Of course! You’ve been here before?” He asks for my name and my information and finds me in the system.

“… Oh… I see here that you don’t have a family doctor.” “Nope! That’s why this is awesome! So much better than going to the clinic all the time!” “Actually, we can only renew prescriptions for people who have family doctors.”

…Sorry? So what you’re telling me is that now, instead of providing a NEW service and making it easier for people who are already shafted out of a doctor to get prescriptions (a lot like you’ve been advertising), you’re actually just offering people a redundant service. If your doctor already gives you a couple years worth of refills, hell, I’ll give you refills too, not that you need them. But despite having a COMPLETELY non-risky medication that isn’t going to pose ANY threat of mis-use or abuse, you still have to go and get a NEW prescription from a doctor for every refill.

What difference does it make? My walk in clinic has my full medical history. Just because someone is “assigned” a doctor, they somehow don’t need to be seen? They’re just trusted with medication? But god forbid I’m low-risk and don’t need to see a doctor on a regular basis…. better not take any chances with her and make sure we see her for 30 seconds every month so we can ask absolutely no questions and just write the script regardless. A whole lot like my pharmacist could actually be doing.

This service adds absolutely NO value, to anyone. If you’re already entrusted a year’s worth of medication, nothing changes because a second person is also entrusted – a second person you’ll never need to use. If you’re not already given multiple refills, your pharmacist can do nothing. The only difference is whether you’ve been deemed deserving of a family doctor by passing the giant waiting list created by doctor shortage.

I’m really glad that all that money went into advertising a completely USELESS service that’s supposed to make people’s lives easier, but really does absolutely nothing for anyone.

Click here to find out!

What’s Electric Daisy Carnival? You can check out their website here for tickets, shuttle passes, hotels, and other information for the 2013 Las Vegas event. See you there!

(Photo Cred: Insomniac)

Because apparently I’m 14 again – the age when posting song lyrics is cool.

Antillas & Blinders feat. Jenson Vaughan – Top Of The World (Original Mix)

I’m lost in this moment the kind where it feels like everything is meant to be
And I’m gonna own it cause the spotlights got nothing on me
I’m shining so bright
When I’m walking and the music hits like adrenaline
Oh, what a feeling
I feel so alive
Take a deep breath
Now I realize

[Chorus]
Nothing’s gonna stop me now
Nothing’s gonna bring me down
Yea – I’m feeling good tonight
I’m on top of the world tonight (tonight)
(x2)

I’m on top of the world tonight
Yeah, I’m on top of the world tonight (tonight)

Just let your heart open
All your inhibitions, watch them all fly away
You got to let love in
It’s the one thing that matters today
So let it shine bright
It’s your moment
Make the most of it
There’s your chance to live
Oh what a feeling
Don’t you feel alive
Take a deep breath
And realize

[Chorus]

If DJ Mag Top 100 ratings mean anything (it doesn’t), Dada Life were my #1. Seeing them play at sunrise at Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas this year was one of my life-defining moments, and on September 20, 2012, they made their 3rd annual stop at London Music Hall, here in downtown London, Ontario.

On 2011′s visit, I was still just getting my toes wet in the EDM scene and culture. I followed the major artists and had heard a few names. I liked Dada Life, but I didn’t truly appreciate them. I never did buy tickets, however after much work on Twitter, I managed to win a pair. I couldn’t find anyone to go with, so that night I went by myself, exhausted, after work. Between having no one to party with and pure desire to crawl into bed and pass out, I ended up leaving before Dada Life even hit the stage.

It was but weeks later that I really started to discover their music. Every new song they released became my new favourite song – and the regret I experienced over missing their London show when I was oh so close to seeing them began to grow.

At EDC, their Monday 4am set was something I refused to miss. In fact, if I had to rate shows I wasn’t missing for anything that weekend, they had the top slot again. I was not disappointed. There is something special about being surrounded by neon lights, costumes, and 100,000 other overly-enthusiastic fans that share the same passion for the music as you do. It’s complete sensory-overload and bliss.

Despite having seen them only 3 months ago at EDC, I definitely didn’t lack any excitement when their fall Dada Land tour was announced – and London Music Hall was stop #3. I’m fairly certain I was literally the first person to buy my ticket.

The show sold out before the doors opened. I arrived to a line consisting of dozens of banana and neon clad fans, preparing themselves for a night of beats and bass.

The show was incredible, and something completely different than I experienced at EDC. Dada Life played for 2 hours. The bass was fatter than a sausage. Their set seems to contain every song off their new album (The Rules of Dada), and they even surprised us with a short hardstyle set in the middle – most of which I unfortunately missed, because we’d just stepped outside for relief from the extreme lingering heat that comes with every show at London Music Hall.

By the end of the first hour, my entire body was already fatigued from jumping about like a maniac. I knew that despite this – and the fact that I had to work in 7 short hours – there was no way I could allow myself to leave early. Even when my legs felt as though they were about to give out.

And am I ever glad I didn’t. I’m usually the type to hover around the back of the crowd. I like room to dance. I have no desire to squeeze my way to the front and have to fight to stand in one place, getting soaked in other people’s sweat and spilled beer. As the crowd started to thin – exhausted by opening acts 12th Planet and Caveat, I was able to make my way towards the front of the crowd without much struggle. At one point, after a brief absence, Stefan appeared atop the DJ booth clothed in Superman attire including a billowing cape; we all jumped and screamed as we awaiting the drop, at which point Stefan launched himself into the crowd. I was a little too far back to get close to him, but it certainly did something to increase the intensity of the crowd, and things only got crazier.

As the show continued, we were subject to Dada Life’s amazing visual show, including obscure, cartoonish animations that were certainly designed by someone who’s a little more “creative” than the rest of us.

If you are unfamiliar with Dada Life, they have a seemingly confusing combination of products, by which all fans recognize them. Champagne and bananas. In interviews, Dada has mentioned that they initially included bananas on their rider as a source of potassium, and eventually came known for them. Champagne was included on the rider as their alcoholic beverage of choice. It wasn’t long before they discovered how disgusting bananas and champagne paired together. A combination so terrible would of course lead any normal person to make the pair their symbol.

Over time, bananas have come a emblem for many fans, and every show contains dozens of people dressed in full-body banana costumes. It has also lead to many people sneaking bananas into shows, and by the end of the set the floor is transformed into an obstacle course of banana peels.

And yes, in case you were wondering; I DID watch a guy remove a bunch of 6 bananas from his boxers on the way up the stairs into the music hall.

At every show, Dada Life invites anyone dressed as a banana onto the stage for the last few songs. At London Music Hall, there was barely room for all of the bananas on stage. The place was packed.

At the end of the show we were treated by an amazing surprise when Ollie jumped into the crowd and directed that he be crowd-surfed to the back door. Set up here was a merchandise booth by which every person passed in order to leave the venue. As everyone exited, Ollie personally sold merchandise, shook hands, signed autographs, and took about 30,000 pats on the back. As the venue cleared out (I stayed until the very end), he stopped to chat with fans as he made his way back to the dressing room.

Examples like this are why I love Dada Life. Not only do they put on incredible shows and produce the music that made me fall in love with them – they seem like incredibly genuine, nice, fun guys. Moreso as of late, personality has become a huge factor for me, and other artists have lost my respect based on their interviews and attitude towards the scene. I’m not naming any names, but I’m sure you could make some pretty accurate guesses. An artist who gives back to their fans rather than hiding out in their dressing room demanding someone bring them Evian and Dom Perignon is a person who’s musical talent I want to support.

We left our brains at home; we arrived pretty, we Fed the Dada, We Kicked out the Epic Mother Fucker, and we left ugly. We experienced art as loud as fuck, and we weren’t afraid to get wet. And we definitely didn’t make any of those lame hand-hearts while we did it. [1]

So, for those that are interested: My EDC 2012 Artist Rundown. Enjoy!

FRIDAY:

• Hardwell – This is the second time I’ve been Hardwell, the first being at Cobra London. His set this time was infinitely better. I was only able to catch the last 1/3 of his already short set, but it blew me away while it lasted. (kineticFIELD) (Hardwell Set Link – Youtube)
• Knife Party – Amazing. Knife Party is fairly new on the scene, but they put on a good show. No children died during their set. (kineticFIELD) (Knife Party Set Link – MixCloud)
• Gabriel & Dresden – I’m not big on Trance, but I needed a place to sit down for awhile. The trance family loved it, and I did enjoy the show, but it wouldn’t be my first choice of stages to visit again. (circuitGROUNDS) (Gabriel & Dresden Set Link – MixCloud)
• Datsik – This was my favourite show of the night. Datsik played early, and on one of the smaller stages, but it was still packed. We found a calmer area near the front with a clear view of the stage. My only complaint was that they didn’t drop my favourite song (Lightspeed), but other than that it was a mind blowing show. (neonGARDEN) (Datsik Set Link – SoundCloud)
• Erick Morillo – I can’t even remember being at this stage for Eric Morillo but I definitely noted in my phone that I was there. Can’t comment on how the show was. (cosmicMEADOW) (Erick Morillo Set Link – MixCloud)
• Afrojack – I’ve never been a huge fan of Afrojack to be honest. For me, his set was nothing remarkable. Of course I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t something I was going crazy over. (kineticFIELD) (Afrojack Set Link – Mixjunkies)
• Kaskade – After Kaskade’s amazing Coachella set, I’m not surprised that this was one of the most packed shows of the entire festival. Luckily we’d already made our way into the middle of the field for Afrojack, and there was quite a bit of room to move around. However, we moved on before the set was over – getting out of kineticFIELD was endless. Even nearing the end of his set, people were still steaming in. It took us a good 15 minutes to navigate our way out. Needless to say, Kaskade did it again and put on a great performance. (kineticFIELD) (Kaskade Set Link – SoundCloud)
• R3hab – Another show that went hard. I’d never heard R3hab before this, but another member of my group wanted to see it. I’m glad I went, because he was fantastic. Would definitely make sure I catch R3hab next time he’s around. (neonGARDEN) (R3hab Set Link – Youtube)
• Aoki and Afrojack - This was the first set Aoki and Afrojack (or “Afroki”) had ever played together, and I must say that they nailed it. Despite Afrojack’s sub par show earlier in the night, this show was incredible. neonGARDEN is not a massive stage, but it was probably the most packed in that time slot. Thousands of people filtered in over  the first half of the show, and the crowd went on throughout every space from which the stage was visible. Aoki, always the show off, floated over the crowd in a blow up raft, and yes, someone did get caked. I’m in love with this set. (neonGARDEN) (Afroki Set Link – SoundCloud)
• Fedde le Grand – Put your hands up for Las Vegas! Fedde le Grand was so packed we couldn’t even get into kineticField. We watched from an area outside the field, but still in view of the stage and it was still insanely busy, even being in the last time slot of the night. I called it a night before he finished his set. (kineticFIELD) (Fedde le Grand Set Link – MixCloud)

SATURDAY:

• Dodge & Fuski (bassPOD) (No Set Link)
• Manufactured Superstars - Another of the sets I missed in London and another that surprised me. (kineticFIELD) (No Manufactured Superstars’ EDC Las Vegas set was recorded, so here is their EDC New York set.)
• Sander Van Doorn – I never expected Sander to blow me away like he did. I missed his show in London when he was around, for no good reason except that I wasn’t familiar with his work. Oh, how I now regret that decision. Sander’s show was incredible, and definitely helped contribute to an excellent first half of the night. (kineticFIELD) (Sander Van Doorn Set Link – EDMHub)
• Borgore - This is a set I was excited to see. We stopped by bassPOD to check it out, but I just couldn’t get into their act. We didn’t stick around long. (bassPOD) (Borgore Set Link – MixCloud)
• Bassnectar (kineticFIELD)
• Martin Solveig (kineticFIELD) (Martin Solveig Set Link – Mixjunkies)
• Feed Me – WOW. Feed Me was one of the sets of the weekend that I refused to miss, even if it meant leaving my group and seeing him solo.  (neonGARDEN)
• Zeds Dead (bassPOD)
• (Wind Storm)
• Marcus Schulz (Pirate Ship)
• Steve Aoki – I’ve never been a huge fan of Aoki, because I find he spends more time showboating – taking off his shirt, crowd surfing, spraying champagne – than he does actually playing music. Some people love that aspect, but I’ve never been a fan of  the type because I feel he has the wrong priorities as far as what I go to a show to see. I think I did gain a little more respect for the guy, however, when he stepped up and played a set on the portable pirate ship stage. He was scheduled to perform with the Blue Man Group at the end of the night, which is unfortunate because I’d have liked to see them, but Aoki definitely turned what could have been a terrible night into an awesome, special experience. (Pirate Ship)

SUNDAY:

Note there are a few artists I can’t comment on too much here. I was super tired, especially early in the night, and we spent a good portion of the first part of the night moving around, so I never really caught more than half a set. The set times were also adjusted to add artists who missed sets on Saturday, meaning we’d leave to catch a set and find that the previous only was only half way done. I don’t want to comment on something I didn’t hear the majority of, but I’ll comment on what I do remember. Because we moved around so much and saw so many acts, the night was a bit of a blur. I’m also having trouble finding some of the set links from Sunday, but I’ll update when (and if) I can find them. Word on the street is that some of the recording equipment may have been damaged in Saturday’s storm, affecting what was recorded on Sunday.

• Black 22s – The Black 22s are not a well known act – they were part of a small project run by Insomniac called the discoverySTAGE. discoverySTAGE accepts entries from unknown DJs and offers the best of the best a spot on a small stage in the Neon Garage at EDC. Despite being a small stage, this is where food vendors and the air conditioned areas are, meaning these DJs get a ton of traffic. As far as I can tell, the discoverySTAGE was not recorded, but you can find the Black 22s on their Facebook Page. I won’t be surprised if you hear about these guys again in the future – their set exploded with energy. (discoverySTAGE).
• Bunny – Another act at the discoverySTAGE. WOW. Despite the name, Bunny was GREAT. If I remember correctly, he was a little closer to dubstep than anything else. His set was energetic and got the crowd going. I spoke to at least 3 other people who also saw Bunny, and had nothing but praises. Another act you’ll be hearing about again, without a doubt. EDC made this guy famous, even if no one knows it yet. Unfortunately, I can’t even find this guy’s Facebook or anything, but I’ll be sure to update with a link if I find anything on the guy. (discoverySTAGE)
• Chuckie – There was a lot of chatter for Chuckie before EDC. I saw him, not because he was my first choice, but because a friend wanted to see him. His was alright, but it certainly wasn’t anything special for me. I don’t think he really lived up to what most people expected to come from him. I wouldn’t say he was exactly a waste of time, but that particular performance of his seemed sub-par. (kineticFIELD) (Chuckie Set Link – Mixjunkies)
• Dirty South – This is the second time I’ve seen Dirty South, and for a guy that’s not all that popular in EDM, his sets are awesome. His show at Tent Party in London was one of the best  I’ve been to, and this set matched it for sure. (kineticFIELD)
• BT – Because of the shifted set times, I missed the majority of BT’s set. However, I’ll leave you with this picture of BT and his daughter in the DJ booth.   (circuitGROUNDS) (BT Set Link – MixCloud)

• Tritonal – I’m not usually huge on Trance, but after hearing Tritonal’s EDC NY Set, I HAD to catch them at EDC Las Vegas. Of course, we again ran into shifted set times because of Saturday’s mishap and didn’t catch the entire thing, but what we did manage to see was phenomenal. (circuitGROUNDS) (Tritonal Set Link – SoundCloud)
• ATB (circuitGROUNDS) (ATB Set Link – Mixjunkies)
• Major Lazer - (neonGARDEN)
• David Guetta (kineticFIELD)
• Armin Van Buuren – I did catch a little of both Armin’s first and second set (kineticFIELD) (Armin Van Buuren Second Set Link – MixJunkies)
• Avicii - Before I start, I’ll be honest. I strongly dislike Avicii. Personality is a big thing to me with DJs – If you come across as a jerk, I am extremely biased towards your music. If you’re a dick, your music is automatically garbage. Now, Avicii. He’s the wonderchild of EDM right now. He’s the Justin Bieber. Sure, he’s got a couple good songs, and I’ll admin to loving Bromane, but aside from a couple singles, he’s a garbage DJ. His sets are BORING. We headed over to kineticFIELD because another act was scheduled to play (AVB maybe?), only to find that Avicii was actually on deck – the storm had him rescheduled.  (kineticFIELD)
• Laidback Luke – Another set that was way more amazing than I expected. I saw LL back in London in October, and I didn’t find him to be anything special. This set was different – on the Super You & Me Stage at neonGARDEN – I think he made me change my mind. The guy is fantastic live. The highlight of this set for me was two cops dancing through the crowd before being approached by a shirtless raver. Raver than proceeded to teach them the PLUR shake and give them some kandi singles. The cops then asked for a picture, which all 3 looked rather enthusiastic about. (neonGARDEN) (Laidback Luke Set Link – MixCloud)
• Bingo Players – I was really impressed with Bingo Players. I wasn’t all that excited to see them; they played at the same time as Porter Robinson, but since I’m seeing Porter again next week I gave in and decided I didn’t mind going to the set of my friends’ choosing over Porter. They always seemed one-hit-wonder-ish to me with Cry Just A Little, so I wasn’t expecting what I got from them; one of the best sets of the weekend. I missed them at Club Rouge here in London a few months back. The club’s advertising was terrible, and though I know about most shows, I didn’t know about Bingo Players, right down the street, until they were already on the tables. I’m sorry I missed it now, and I’ll definitely be listening to more of their mixes in the future. (neonGARDEN) (Bingo Players Set Link – SoundCloud)
• Porter Robinson – This was my third time seeing Porter after first being introduced to him as the opener for Tiesto at the JLC in London and then playing Cobra London a few months later. Every time, I’ve enjoyed him immensely. We only caught the last few tracks of his EDC set, but we did hear him drop Language. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing him again next week. Not only is he an amazing musician, he just comes across as a nice guy and a good person; I like that. (kineticFIELD) (No Set Link…. booooo!)
• Dada Life – Dada was my must-see act of the weekend, and being the 4am-5am set on Monday morning, they definitely closed out the weekend on a high note. Between Dada’s monthly mixes and their new Dada Land show, I love these guys. They come across as goofy, talented, and honest. Their Dada Land commentary is amazing and hilarious. (kineticFIELD) (Dada Life Set Link – SoundCloud)

HONOURABLE MENTION (I missed a few sets I wanted to see because of schedule overlaps, including thiers) goes to Kill The Noise. Awesome!

When I heard AVB was making a stop in London, I was completely ecstatic. Though I’m growing out of trance and towards house and dubstep, AVB is nothing short of a God of the genre. He’s been named DJ Mag’s #1 DJ four years in a row – more than any other artist, and his radio show A State of Trance (ASOT) boasts over 550 shows and millions of live weekly listeners.

I rounded up my usual concert posse, Teri and Matt, and bought tickets the minute they went on sale. In retrospect, this was likely our first mistake. With fear of selling out, we didn’t risk waiting to see if there might be a price drop. Online tickets were “$40″. I say “$40″, because once taxes, fees, and delivery are added, the cost was nearing $60. Even the display price was $45, despite the promoter’s explanation that “you see, $45 is actually $40, because we add SOME of the fees on before checkout, and some later.” …right. Hard tickets were an even and honest $40, and even after 2 price increases, we’d have saved money by buying $50 tickets at the door.

By the time the show arrived, we’d all been thoroughly educated on the music of AVB. I heard word of a few more people going to the show and invited them to join us before the show. The more the better, right? Another mistake – I spent my night trying to get in contact with people who told me they were coming over but never showed up. I didn’t want to strand anyone. Something I need to learn to care less about; if you don’t have the decency to contact me and let me know you’re going to be late, or aren’t coming at all, I’m not going to waste my time on you.

Finally, around 11:30, everyone had arrived and had a couple of drinks (except the driver, of course), and we headed to the show. This one took place at Western Fair District in order to facilitate a larger crowd, and because of the double-booking for London Music Hall with Young Jeezy. It was originally planned as a Tent Party (as it should have stayed, in my opinion), and only became a “wareHOUSE” party several weeks before the show.

This is about half of the total line

When we arrived around midnight, we were met with a lineup, and a massive one at that. Another mistake. Our tickets were only guaranteed until 11:30pm. We knew this, and thought we’d be OK arriving closer to 12. Most other people in line seemed to be oblivious to the “guaranteed entry” times most events boast; if you’re not in by the cut off, the remaining portion of the line is processed and allowed inside in order. Tickets are irrelevant and ticket holders are not given priority. If you’ve already bought a ticket, they still honor it, but your spot inside is no longer reserved. If they hit capacity by selling tickets at the door and you’re not inside, too bad for you.

The line, entering the building at the end farthest the slots, reached around the corner and back almost to the casino entrance. For some time, we moved quickly. Capacity was hit 10 minutes after we arrived, but the line continued to move smoothly. It wasn’t until we were meters from the door that things really started to slow down. Move the first 90% in 10% of the time.

The first real problems I noticed with the show were here in line. So many people were oblivious to the details. London Music Hall uses mainly social media, so anyone who doesn’t monitor Facebook or Twitter and buys their tickets from the website or directly from a promoter is left out of the news. Even the venue change was only announced to ticket holders by email, and only hours before the show. I knew through social media, but others did not. Anyone who bought a hard ticket wouldn’t have been on the mailing list and would be completely in the dark. Almost everyone was oblivious to the entry cut-off time. I’m unsure whether it appeared in the ticket disclaimer, but again, no mention on the tickets themselves. It was only in a brief tweet, a reply to a single person, that mentioned the cut off time. I saw it only by chance, but even followers of the promoter wouldn’t have seen that news. The start time was changed several times, and the door time shifted between 7pm and 10pm depending on which promoter you listened to. Set times were never announced. The details were incredibly unclear. Considering I’m a person who follows social media, the promoter’s main method of communication, and couldn’t even find a definite time for AVB’s set or a cut off time, I’m not surprised.

Another major issue in line was security. It’s not like the line was small and calm – this was a line-up of hundreds. Over an hour wait. Most girls in heels, many freezing and without coats. Intoxicated and impatient. No place to use the bathroom. Garbage everywhere. With security doubled at the Young Jeezy concert due to yesterday’s shooting, a definite lack of security at AVB was apparent. Often in line ups, even at smaller clubs with only a few dozen people waiting to get in, there is at least one bouncer walking the line. This was a line that reached at least 50 meters, most of it out of view of the door, and not a single security person around. Line jumpers and fights were left to run their course, causing a lot of frustration and bitterness among those who did wait – not the best feeling to start a show with.

With the long wait in line, anyone who had been excited, pumped up, or even drunk, was just exhausted, cold, sober, and frustrated in short order.

Even once we approached the door, it became apparent there were very few security people. 5, if I remember correctly. A male and a female doing pat downs at general admission, the same at VIP, and a 5th to control the flow between the two. Even when we were 10 feet from the door, a large group of a dozen or so guys violently forced their way in line. The crowd erupted with screaming, shoving, and booing and still, nothing was done. When the one in front of me made the mistake of waving his ticket in the air and mocking those in line behind him; I tried to grab it out of his hand when he looked away. Unfortunately, I didn’t quite get it on the first try so he tightened his grip, and saw me. I was hoping I could snatch it and he’d panic, not knowing where it went. Instead I slipped back in the line to avoid getting punched in the face. I’m sorry, but if you shove me violently out of the way to avoid the lengthy wait that everyone else just endured, I have no issues with ruining your night in return.

Security was tremendously unpleasant. I know they have no patience, so we prepared by actually having our bags open and our ID’s ready, unlike every person in front of us. Still, we were treated like the biggest waste of time they’d ever expereinced. I held my bag open for the female security office after she’d frisked me, but it didn’t help her from barking “c’mon, your bag, I need to see it, open it”. I mentioned, “by the way, the dozen guys you just let in shoved everyone out of their way at the front of the line”, and she replied with “well you shouldn’t have let them!” Last time I checked, that’s not my job – it’s security’s. I’m not risking getting in a fight or getting arrested for doing security’s job. At any other event they’d be banned from the show.

We got inside and the first stop was the bathroom. 4 stalls. Thousands of people at the show, and only 4 stalls were open. One was out of order, bringing the total down to 3. Again, more shoving in line, and a lengthy wait. The women’s bathroom was not a pleasant area. Girls desperate to get back to the show would do anything. The line was merciless to line-jumpers, so I had the delightful experience of watching girl after girl hop up on the garbage can and sink to pee there. Another squatted in the corner and went on the floor. I didn’t witness a single person wash their hands. I feel terrible for whoever had to take out the garbage after that one – probably one of the most disgusting things I’d ever experienced in my life. That alone must have been someone’s version of hell.

After making it through that 20 minute experience, we headed for coat check. Another line. 2 people working. The line wasn’t moving. We decided to carry out coats with us instead. We lost all the guys with us. Drinks were an option, but we didn’t want to risk another wait in the bathroom from hell, so we forewent. It didn’t help that you couldn’t purchase just one drink – it was drink tickets only. Another line up.

Photo Credit: Premierlife.ca

The set up inside was nothing short of terrible. The back half was general admission and the front half VIP. From the very front of the main GA area, we couldn’t even see the top of Armin’s screens. GA extended in a small, 10 foot wide strip up the center of the floor. It was jam-packed. We didn’t even try to navigate through the crowd any farther.

Another “special feature” of the building was a long, gentle slope making GA at the back much lower than VIP at the front. In addition to the obvious vision issue, standing on that sort of slope is nothing short of excruciatingly painful. Pair that with cement floors, and both me an Teri were in extreme pain from the waist down in barely 30 minutes.

The final, and I’d say most important issue of the night, was sound quality. I’ve always though of trance as fairly subtle, with many different lines mixed together. Without fairly high quality, this becomes the “wub wub wub” everyone associates with electronic music. This happened to an extreme level. The echos were terrible, and, though I could be wrong, it sounded like the metal roof was vibrating with the bass, causing the music to lose all it’s subtle appeal. Through shows at London Music Hall, Rum Runners, Cobra, and even Mustang Lounge, I’ve never experienced sound quality quite that poor. It was absolutely pitiful. The venue choice caused beautiful music to become noise. Just noise. It absolutely destroyed the show, and the entire experience for me. I couldn’t get excited about the music like I do at other shows. I’ve had an amazing time at much smaller events (Michael Woods at LMH, or Wolfgang Gartner at Mustang Lounge for example), even with the smaller capacity and unbearable heat. Don’t get me wrong, these shows have their own issues, but the music always sounds good, and that’s what I’m there for.

Overall, I was extremely disappointed with the show. It fell so short of my expectations – but I think the sound quality is really what did it in. The show just couldn’t be redeemed for me with something like that.

I think from now on I’ll stop getting disappointed about missing huge shows, especially at Western Fair District. The great times I’ve had at smaller venues around the city put my experience at Armin’s show to absolute shame.

Armin on stage. Photo Credit: Premierlife.ca

*Disclaimer: If you’re about to comment “I bet you went home and I bet you drove there!”, a) you’re wrong and b) I’m sure you think you’re being really witty and original but I’ve heard that joke at least a dozen times. Sorry. It’s done. I know it’s just a fortune cookie, but right now it’s message means a lot more to me than a dumb joke. It sums up everything I’ve spent hours thinking about lately and all the things about my life I’ve spent endless time considering. 

This morning I was walking to work, my usual route. It’s a largely student area, so it was reasonable quiet. An elderly man was riding through the intersection on his bike, moving pretty fast – when he hit a patch of sand. The bike slipped out from under him. I was right across the street. He landed head-first on the pavement.

And first I thought he was all right, but then he started screaming. Screaming, crying, tears. I ran over to him, but before I even got there, the blood started pouring out of the back of his head, forming a small puddle. *holy shit*. Instant panic. No one else was around but another girl who was walking from the opposite direction. I didn’t want to touch him – CPR training or instinct, moving people in pain is probably not the first thing I want to do.

I called 911 while the other girl reassured him and kept him talking. I didn’t realize it at the time, but when they say “fire, police, or ambulance” they want your choice, not your life story – I just blurted the whole thing out. THAT came from emergency training – the very first thing you tell them is where you are. The responder got the point and forwarded me to the correct department. The person on the phone told us to keep him talking and stop the bleeding with towels – of course me on the way to work and the other girl on the way to class had nothing, but at this point a nearby house full of students noticed something going on outside. We yelled to them and they brought us some towels.

Before I even hung up the phone, I heard the ambulance – they were there in 2 minutes at the most. Usually when things like these happen, the ambulance seems like it takes forever, but this one was fast.

The paramedics showed up. They had us hold the body board (whatever it’s called) and the stretcher. As they took off his jacket they suspected at least 2 broken ribs, a broken arm, and a dislocated shoulder. He was bleeding from everywhere. He told them he was 82. He gave them his name and said he was never riding his bike again. I nearly cried. He seemed alert, but in pain, and the look on his face while they moved him on to the stretcher was heartbreaking.  He was so embarrassed.

One thing I never immediately considered, but was pointed out to me later by a coworker – he hit his head – hard. He also wasn’t wearing a helmet. Sure, he was pretty banged up otherwise, but I’m sure he could have done without a head injury to boot.

This is only the second time that I’ve ever had to call 911 (the first was after my brother choked on a Campino candy – I was maybe 9) and neither has been a pleasant experience.  Hard to tell them what’s going on when you’re half crying.

So that’s the story of this morning’s 911 call. Lesson learned – always wear a helmet when biking and listen to what the people on the phone are asking you for.