NOCTURNAL WONDERLAND
LAKE HAVASU, CA 9/01/2001

REVIEW

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THIS EVENT HAS BEEN FULL OF MUCH SPIN PRIOR TO THE EVENT AND THEREAFTER. NOCTURNAL WONDERLAND'S PREVIOUS SUCCESSES MADE THIS YEAR A HIGHLY ANTICIPATED ONE. PERHAPS DUE TO THE RECENT CRACKING DOWN OF RAVES, INSOMNIAC EVENTS MOVED THIS EVENT AWAY FROM THE MAIN CITIES. HELD ON AN INDIAN RESERVATION AT THE LAKE HAVASU RESORT ON THE CALIFORNIA SIDE, THIS VENUE CERTAINLY CONTAINED THE ELEMENTS TO MAKE THIS A SECLUDED RAVE. SECLUSION WOULD MEAN BEING AWAY FROM THE ELEMENTS OF THE CITY AND PEOPLE THAT ARE ANTI RAVE.

PERHAPS THE DISTANCE DAMPENED THE WILLS OF MANY. THE DRIVE FOR US ANGELINOS HIT CLOSE TO 4.5 HOURS ON THE WAY, AND SOME 5.25 HOURS ON THE WAY BACK. THE TURNOUT OF THIS EVENT WAS NOT TO EXPECTATION. WHILE WE ARE NOT EXPERTS IN CROWD POPULUS, WE PLACE THE NUMBERS AROUND 16,000 PEOPLE. MIND YOU PEOPLE WERE GOING IN AND OUT THROUGH THE COURSE OF THE NIGHT, SO THE NUMBERS MAY FLOAT A BIT HIGHER SAY AROUND 18,000. SPEAKING OF GOING IN, WORD IS THAT IT TOOK SOME UP TO 3 HOURS TO GET IN AT THE START OF THE EVENT. WE ARRIVED CLOSE TO OR THEREAFTER MIDNIGHT, AND ENTRY FOR US WAS INSTANT. THERE WAS LITERALLY NO LINES. CHECKING IN OF OUR BAGS WAS A BREEZE.

UPON ENTERING THE VENUE, WE WERE SHOCKED TO SEE A VENUE NOT THE SIZE SPECIFIED IN THE FLYER. THE FLYER READ .5 MILE WIDE BY 1.5 MILE LONG DUST FREE VENUE. WE ESTIMATE IT MORE AS 120 FEET WIDE BY .5 MILE LONG OF DANCEABLE AREA WHICH TECHNICALLY WOULD BE DUST FREE... UNFORTUNATELY, OUTSIDE THE 120 FEET WIDTH AREA IS NOTHING BUT DIRT. HAVE A FEW THOUSAND PEOPLE GOING THROUGH THIS DIRT, AND THE RESULT IS MASSIVE DUST EXPOSURE.

PLENTY OF VENDORS WERE ON HAND, AND LOTS OF YUMMY GOODIES WERE AVAILABLE SUCH AS COTTON CANDY AND PRETZELS. A .5 LITER BOTTLE OF WATER SOLD FOR A DECENT $2.00 WHICH IS GOOD COMPARED TO OTHER PRICE GOUGING VENUES. TICKET PRICES WERE REASONBLE IF ONE PURCHASED DURING PRE SALES IN THE AREA OF $25 OR $30. PROCRASTINATORS HAD TO PAY UPWARDS OF $35 & $40. PARKING WAS FREE AND SECURED AS STATED. CAMPING GROUNDS AS WELL WERE PLENTIFUL AND THOSE WHO WISHED TO CAMP OUT HAD THAT PREVILEGE AVAILABLE. THIER INDEED WAS A GOOD RATIO OF RESTROOMS TO PEOPLE. STAFF WAS VERY FRIENDLY. AND THE MUSIC STAGES OF SOUND WERE IMPRESSIVELY LOUD & CLEAR. THE VARIOUS STAGES DID NOT CLASH WITH EACH OTHER SO THAT ALLOWED EVENT GOERS TO LISTEN TO THIER FAVORITE SOUNDS AND DJS WITHOUT NOISE INTERFERENCE. UNFORTUNATELY, PERHAPS DUE TO THE DISTANCE OF THE VENUE, MANY DJS WERE LATE THUS THROWING OFF THE ITINERARY OF PERFORMANCES. NONETHELESS, THE MUSIC AND THE VISUAL ON SOME OF THE STAGES WERE AWE INSPIRING.

PEOPLE GATHERED FROM ALL PARTS HERE REPRESENTING ARIZONA, UTAH, CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO, LOS ANGELES, INLAND EMPIRE, SAN GABRIEL VALLEY, AND THE LIKE. PLUR WAS ONLY A BIT ALIVE. THIER WERE SOME NEGATIVE HEADS WHO LACKED MANNERS. IT WAS A BIT CUMBERSOME TO RUN INTO EXHAUSTED PEOPLE WHO FORMED SOCIAL CIRCLES IN THE DANCE FLOORS CAUSING MINI JAMS. WHILE SOCIAL CIRCLES ARE PERFECTLY OK, WHEN THEY INTERFERED WITH THE DANCE AREAS, THAT WAS NOT COOL. AT THE SAME TIME, WE CAN'T BLAME THEM SINCE ITS UNDERSTANDABLE THAT NO ONE WANTS TO SIT SOCIAL CIRCLE STYLE IN THE DIRT. THIS ONE HAS TO BE TAKEN WITH A GRAIN OF SALT.OTHERWISE, THOSE WE ENCOUNTERED WERE ALL SMILES AND ALL PLUR!! MUCH LOVE TO THOSE!!

UNFORTUNATELY THIS EVENT WAS NOT WITHOUT ITS TRAGEDIES. REPORTS INDICATE AN OVERDOSE AND A FEW FATALATIES DUE TO VEHICULAR NEGLIGENCE ON THE PART OF EVENT GOERS. WHILE THESE ITEMS ARE NOT A DIRECT RESULT OF THE PRODUCTION, THEIR OUTCOMES WILL SURELY TAINT THIS EVENT AND THIS SCENE. WERE THESE TRAGEDIES PREVENTALBE? SURE. IT BOILS DOWN TO PERSONAL RESPONSIBILTY. THE PEOPLE FOR THEIR OWN ACTIONS, AND THE PRODUCERS FOR THE EVENT. OUR HEARTS ARE EXTENDED TO THE VICTIMS OF THE TRAGEDIES THAT UNFOLDED.

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