Sometimes weekends turn out completely different than expected, even though everything seems to be planned perfectly (which mostly is the case). But this little US weekender had unexpected turns and twists, that I would like to share with you. First of all I wanna apologise to everyone who came out to see me at Electric Zoo Festival in NYC on Friday. Although I have received nice comments for my set, I do believe all of you present noticed the lack of atmosphere and vibe in that room. Due to the fact that the only source of light was some 40+ constantly shining big lightbulbs (check the pic, could also work as a video, cause nothing was changing). I wonder if the organisers really think the music that is played on that stage does not deserve or need at least some moving lights. Millions of Dollars go into the light and FX installations of the more commercial music stages, heck, I even believe the Toilet of David Guetta had a better light setup. Sadly this was not the first Time I saw this happening at an Electric Zoo Event. Earlier this year I was booked for Electric Zoo in Mexico and the stage that I played was located under a staircase in the corner which also was constantly lit up by the regular hallway lights of the venue. Back then I decided not to cry out about it, cause I knew they had trouble with the location in general (which of course was not noticeable in the main arena), but after Friday, I feel different about it. I believe people who come and wanna hear techno or even come to see me play deserve something better - a professional audio and visual experience that justifies the high cost of the ticket. So it is not a matter of a lack of budget, I believe it is a matter of not knowing what they are doing when it comes to more underground types of music or, even worse they just dont care. All I can say is that my desire to appear on another EZoo event is zero, unless they provide a certain standard of light and sound, that not only I, also the people who like to come and hear me are used to and can expect. Anyways, thanks again for everyone who came out and had fun nevertheless. But that was not all this weekend... Shaking of the little frustration and anger left in me about the Electric Zoo experience, Andy, Michael and myself left NYC very early on Saturday morning in order to make our way to the Nevada dessert for Burning Man. As we arrived in Reno, things turned out different than expected once more this weekend. The very friendly drivers of our Shuttle to the playa explained to us, that our initial plan of leaving the site at 10 Sunday morning, after my gig and arrive at Reno airport in time to catch our flight out was more than ambitious. They told us due to the fact that the festival is over that night, the return drive will more likely take us 5-9h rather than 3h as initially told to us by the promoter, which could mean that we very possibly miss our flights. But, missing the flight out of Reno this Sunday was not an option for me, as I want/need to be back on Ibiza on Monday for Cocoon at Amnesia. So with this new information we tried everything to charter a plane to fly us out, but after several attempts, we found out that there was not one single airplane available anymore on such a short notice. Of course there would have always been the chance to make it in time and even find 3 seats in a plane taking us back to Reno, but as I said, risking missing my gig on Ibiza tomorrow was not an option for me. Those close to us know how much not only I was looking forward to be and play at Burning Man and it was a hard decision to not go, even though we were so close. I also know that going to Burning Man for just a night and having to be back in Europe just a day later to play another gig was very ambitious planning, but it would have worked out, if the information about our travel times would have been correct or if we had been so smart and chartered a plane in the first place, but hey, we cant know it all and we live and learn… now we know better for next time. So after all, the Shuttle to Burning Man left without us, leaving us a little sad stranded in Reno, but we decided to make the best out of it. Loads of Ideas to go to Vegas for the night (it was AndysBirthday on Saturday) or fly a day early to LA were quickly diminished due to booked out flights, so we rented a big ass car and we went to Lake Tahoe for some sightseeing. We ended up spending the night in a ski resort in Tahoe City and got lots of rest and 10h of sleep each. What a beautiful and peaceful place! So instead of desert, a ski resort ;) I know everything always happens for a reason and even if things dont go as planned, it is up to you, if you wanna moan about it for hours or just swing with it and enjoy the moment wherever that takes you. We have learned a lot of things again this weekend and if nothing more unexpected happens, I am on my way back to Ibiza just in time for my last Cocoon gig at Amnesia for the summer. As a bonus, we are all more rested than anticipated and I am very much looking forward to tomorrow night. Burning Man! I will be there next year, with better planning and more time! :) See you later on Ibiza! (arrived from Reno and just about to board the international flight from LA to Munich….)
Posted on: Mon, 01 Sep 2014 00:41:35 +0000
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