Astral Proj & Infected Mushroom! Yae!

[caulfield]

I've done the math and to be completely honest, the number seems to fall at about 15% when I try and calculate how many events I attend which really end up being truly memorable. In spite of that however, I keep going anyway with all the knowledge that the odds are stacked against me and I fully accept the fact that this is most likely a pretty obvious indication that I am a very high maintenance human being.

The strange thing about that 15% though, is that about 90% of the time it was unintended, unplanned, and completely accidental. A vast majority of the parties and events I had planned for meticulously with ever growing anticipation welling up inside me, have all too often left me morbidly underwhelmed. My friends and I wanted to hear DJ Tiesto spin for ages and when we finally got to catch him at one of our favorite venues, his insanely annoying fandom totally fucked up the night for all of us. Digweed was for a long time, my favorite prog DJ, and I prepared for his set long in advance with all the giddiness of a German child set free in a twisted chocolate factory. I ended up losing a pair of very expensive designer glasses, scored some really nasty nasty candy, had to put up with some really terrible bartenders, and then Dig's set was whatevers...

Another time, I was dragged, grumbling and bitching the entire way, to some obscure tiny bar on a weekday one time to reluctantly hear Mark Farina spin and at the end of the night I had to hug the dude who twisted my arm to get me to attend because that was a blast.

That sort of occurrance happened again this last weekend. My co-worker went with his friends to celebrate one of their birthdays at a nightclub to hear Astral Projection and Infected Mushroom. I don't get giddy for trance much anymore (not like I used to anyway) as I've grown tired of the milieu and tend to prefer darker prog house or faster breakbeat techno. As for "psytrance", I may listen to it by myself or with friends, but the fandom for such events here in Los Angeles are not my kind of crowd. I didn't really want to go to this particular venue also, because it's waaay too Hollywood for me. My co-worker had an extra ticket though, so I thought I might as well help him out.

Astral nearly knocked me unconscious with their set. My brain was spinning off its axis and it was all I could do to just keep dancing in the crowd like a madman nonstop. I had never heard them before and it was quite a cerebral treat. I didn't think anything anytime soon could top that set.

And then Infected Mushroom hit the stage.

Oh my God I am scarred for life... Everyone was still soaring from Astral's insanity and half of the crowd was cheering to applaud A-P and the rest were screaming for the arrival of I-M. So the beat starts up, then all of a sudden a dude with an electric guitar walks up to the front through the layers of smoke generated by the stage. Then he just starts wailing on the thing and everyone (EVERYONE) stopped what they were doing (drinking, lightshows, dancing, flirting, etc) and stared up at the stage at this dude make this electric guitar just cry rivers and rivers of tears at us. I almost dropped my drink. Except for the guitar, it was completely silent (in a Hollywood nightclub!) in a haunting and pristine sort of way (in a Hollywood nightclub!). And the dude's instrument started climbing higher and higher and he played faster and faster till he was playing with his frickin teeth (yeah okay, thats cheesy and gimicky, but that night IT WAS SICK) and at precisely the right moment, Infected Mushroom blasted in with their decks and lasers and the whole place just fucking blew up. People that were passed out on the couches woke up and jumped back to their feet and dudes who were strung out and coming down were all happy and bouncing again and everyone was either tearing up the floor, cheering like pure madness, or hugging all their friends and crying. Jesus Christ it was nuts.

I stayed until closing and when I left the sun was up and the streets were silent. It has been four days since and I still feel somewhat numb to the world around me.

Thank God in heaven for that 15%...

[senorsalvia]

:lol:   ----   Thank God In Heaven For That 15% :!: ----  Great story Caul-----------------------  sal

[JRL]

hmmm.... Batting .150........

Even if you do hit it out of the park in occasion, seems kinda low.

Caul, I was like that once, always looking for what is wrong. Missed out on a lot of stuff.

[Veracohr]

Damn, sounds like your IM and AP show was better than mine. I saw them together on July 9 in Seattle. Astral Projection showed up late, so the really crappy DJs before them went on forever, and AP didn't play very long. IM was good, but kind of "the  same".  I'd hoped for something other than a clone of their show at the same place in January that I saw.

[caulfield]

hmmm.... Batting .150........

Even if you do hit it out of the park in occasion, seems kinda low.

Caul, I was like that once, always looking for what is wrong. Missed out on a lot of stuff.

Looking for what is wrong? It's not my fault mang, I am really trying. In the very least, it makes the rare great times even more memorable.

Actually, in a month I am heading northward your way. Not Sac though, back to Frisco again for a 2 day party which tours worldwide (Love Parade in case anyone is familiar). I already wrote you before about my misadvantures the first time through that classy lady of a city, so wish me luck in round 2.

Peace brah, hope all is well.

-Caul