All photos taken at Ultra Music Festival last week in Miami by me
Hey kids. You don’t have to party so freaking hard! I rocked my butt off in Miami for 5 days, sometimes for 24 hours straight to my favorite DJs of all time. I sent a tweet out that listed 4 of my favorite DJs and the sad thing is, they were all playing within 100 yards of the other at the same time. Never did I think I’d have to choose which one of my 4 favorites to go listen to. This was the incredible awesomeness of WMC / UMF. There was something that consistently bothered me about what I saw while in Miami.
The kids did too much drinking, too many drugs and were having entirely too many free love moments throughout the week. Electronic music inspires love and good feelings. I am at my happiest when listening to my favorite electronic song, especially when surrounded by 15K people in a park with laser lights and 2 story high speaker systems. Did I have to be high on ecstasy, making out with a random girl and doing shots of tequila to be even happier? No way! It seemed that the kids thought that’s what it was all about.
It’s not.
If you’re in your teens or twenties and love techno, trance, trip hop, house, electronica, drum & bass or any other dance music styles, why do you like it? What inspires you to buy the latest album from your favorite DJ or travel thousands of miles to see those DJs perform live in festivals like San Francisco’s LoveFest or Miami’s Ultra Music Festival? Is it for the music or the ability to simply let loose?
I figured as a young person that there would always be someone who had to need drugs or alcohol to have a great time. I was never one of those people. ¬In fact, when electronic music was present, I didn’t need any stimulation at all, not even Red Bull. It was all about the music as the bass flowed through my body and set my heartbeat off just a few milliseconds.
It was when the 10th golf cart mock ambulance plowed through the thick crowds carrying yet another passed out teenager to the hospital that I simply felt bad for everyone there that was doing drugs. At the last set of the day at UMF, Deadmau5 took the stage and a kind man revived and force fed water to two kids who were over dosing on ecstasy and as the set wrapped up, two people’s random drug fueled make-out session caused me to have body paint all over my new white tank top among other body fluids that I won’t even dare to write on this blog.
Am I just being a grouch? Maybe. Maybe I’m just that old man who yells at kids to get off of his lawn but my feelings were dead on as I rode 6 hours from Miami to St. Augustine with my friend Victor who is more of a techno freak than I am. Victor agreed and said all he needs for 24 hours of dancing is water and Gatorade. He said that some people don’t come for the music. They come because the music only makes their trip even better. They were already doing the drugs and the music, lights, crowds and bass just intensifies it.
So I’m not a grouch, only naïve? Yeah, that’s it. I just don’t know about these sort of things. What are we going to do about it? I guess nothing since everyone at the festival around me was high except for me and my friends from the hostel. I was surrounded by tons of people high as a kite wearing 3-D glasses that were wearing mini LED lamps on their fingers and staring at their hands like they’d just discovered that they had fingers while jumping up and down to some insane bass. I guess that’s their version of a night out.
I am mostly concerned for these kids in the future. I mean, if you’re in your teens and already doing hard drugs, what does the future hold for you? I’d like to meet a club kid fast forward 10 years later and see where they ended up and if they really truly enjoy techno without being high on something.
While at UMF, I tweeted that these are my people as I danced in a crowd to a new Tiesto track but after writing that, I saw that I was the only person not high and realized that these weren’t my people. These were just kids that came out to get high and I was there to enjoy the music.
There’s no real solution or point to this post. It’s just a bit saddening that people would travel and pay good money (over $200 per ticket) to get high and end up in the hospital.
Hey kids. Do less drugs, drink less and your party days will last longer. You’ll have more fun and remember more of it. Don’t waste your youth high as a kite and or waste your money on drugs that only ruin your life down the road. Your parents, employers and future children will thank you.
Oh Adam, I agree with you completely.nnHowever, most “kids” these days are, of course, going by the ‘tried and true’ (i guess) method of: do whatever you want when you’re young, because when you’re older you’ll regret the things you didn’t do more than the things you did.nnI can see where people are coming from with this, but to apply it to such extremes.. they don’t realize that it means to live your life, not abuse it.nnBut thats just my thought on the matter.
Oh Adam, I agree with you completely.nnHowever, most “kids” these days are, of course, going by the ‘tried and true’ (i guess) method of: do whatever you want when you’re young, because when you’re older you’ll regret the things you didn’t do more than the things you did.nnI can see where people are coming from with this, but to apply it to such extremes.. they don’t realize that it means to live your life, not abuse it.nnBut thats just my thought on the matter.
Oh Adam, I agree with you completely.nnHowever, most “kids” these days are, of course, going by the ‘tried and true’ (i guess) method of: do whatever you want when you’re young, because when you’re older you’ll regret the things you didn’t do more than the things you did.nnI can see where people are coming from with this, but to apply it to such extremes.. they don’t realize that it means to live your life, not abuse it.nnBut thats just my thought on the matter.
Oh Adam, I agree with you completely.nnHowever, most “kids” these days are, of course, going by the ‘tried and true’ (i guess) method of: do whatever you want when you’re young, because when you’re older you’ll regret the things you didn’t do more than the things you did.nnI can see where people are coming from with this, but to apply it to such extremes.. they don’t realize that it means to live your life, not abuse it.nnBut thats just my thought on the matter.
Oh Adam, I agree with you completely.nnHowever, most “kids” these days are, of course, going by the ‘tried and true’ (i guess) method of: do whatever you want when you’re young, because when you’re older you’ll regret the things you didn’t do more than the things you did.nnI can see where people are coming from with this, but to apply it to such extremes.. they don’t realize that it means to live your life, not abuse it.nnBut thats just my thought on the matter.
Oh Adam, I agree with you completely.nnHowever, most “kids” these days are, of course, going by the ‘tried and true’ (i guess) method of: do whatever you want when you’re young, because when you’re older you’ll regret the things you didn’t do more than the things you did.nnI can see where people are coming from with this, but to apply it to such extremes.. they don’t realize that it means to live your life, not abuse it.nnBut thats just my thought on the matter.
Oh Adam, I agree with you completely.nnHowever, most “kids” these days are, of course, going by the ‘tried and true’ (i guess) method of: do whatever you want when you’re young, because when you’re older you’ll regret the things you didn’t do more than the things you did.nnI can see where people are coming from with this, but to apply it to such extremes.. they don’t realize that it means to live your life, not abuse it.nnBut thats just my thought on the matter.
Oh Adam, I agree with you completely.nnHowever, most “kids” these days are, of course, going by the ‘tried and true’ (i guess) method of: do whatever you want when you’re young, because when you’re older you’ll regret the things you didn’t do more than the things you did.nnI can see where people are coming from with this, but to apply it to such extremes.. they don’t realize that it means to live your life, not abuse it.nnBut thats just my thought on the matter.
Oh Adam, I agree with you completely.nnHowever, most “kids” these days are, of course, going by the ‘tried and true’ (i guess) method of: do whatever you want when you’re young, because when you’re older you’ll regret the things you didn’t do more than the things you did.nnI can see where people are coming from with this, but to apply it to such extremes.. they don’t realize that it means to live your life, not abuse it.nnBut thats just my thought on the matter.
Oh Adam, I agree with you completely.nnHowever, most “kids” these days are, of course, going by the ‘tried and true’ (i guess) method of: do whatever you want when you’re young, because when you’re older you’ll regret the things you didn’t do more than the things you did.nnI can see where people are coming from with this, but to apply it to such extremes.. they don’t realize that it means to live your life, not abuse it.nnBut thats just my thought on the matter.
Oh Adam, I agree with you completely.nnHowever, most “kids” these days are, of course, going by the ‘tried and true’ (i guess) method of: do whatever you want when you’re young, because when you’re older you’ll regret the things you didn’t do more than the things you did.nnI can see where people are coming from with this, but to apply it to such extremes.. they don’t realize that it means to live your life, not abuse it.nnBut thats just my thought on the matter.
Dang. you were fast at reading and commenting! You must have my blog in RSS? nnYeah and as I get older I can attest that there are things I wish I would have done but nothing I wish I would have done would have come with more consequences and sacrifices. I can buy an iPad w/o saving for weeks or months because of the hard work I did as a kid. owning an iPad or having a nice apartment and money to buy food and take trips is far more rewarding than blowing $200 on a night of drinking that forces me to be hungover and late to my job the next day.
Dang. you were fast at reading and commenting! You must have my blog in RSS? nnYeah and as I get older I can attest that there are things I wish I would have done but nothing I wish I would have done would have come with more consequences and sacrifices. I can buy an iPad w/o saving for weeks or months because of the hard work I did as a kid. owning an iPad or having a nice apartment and money to buy food and take trips is far more rewarding than blowing $200 on a night of drinking that forces me to be hungover and late to my job the next day.
Dang. you were fast at reading and commenting! You must have my blog in RSS? nnYeah and as I get older I can attest that there are things I wish I would have done but nothing I wish I would have done would have come with more consequences and sacrifices. I can buy an iPad w/o saving for weeks or months because of the hard work I did as a kid. owning an iPad or having a nice apartment and money to buy food and take trips is far more rewarding than blowing $200 on a night of drinking that forces me to be hungover and late to my job the next day.
Dang. you were fast at reading and commenting! You must have my blog in RSS? nnYeah and as I get older I can attest that there are things I wish I would have done but nothing I wish I would have done would have come with more consequences and sacrifices. I can buy an iPad w/o saving for weeks or months because of the hard work I did as a kid. owning an iPad or having a nice apartment and money to buy food and take trips is far more rewarding than blowing $200 on a night of drinking that forces me to be hungover and late to my job the next day.
Dang. you were fast at reading and commenting! You must have my blog in RSS? nnYeah and as I get older I can attest that there are things I wish I would have done but nothing I wish I would have done would have come with more consequences and sacrifices. I can buy an iPad w/o saving for weeks or months because of the hard work I did as a kid. owning an iPad or having a nice apartment and money to buy food and take trips is far more rewarding than blowing $200 on a night of drinking that forces me to be hungover and late to my job the next day.
Dang. you were fast at reading and commenting! You must have my blog in RSS? nnYeah and as I get older I can attest that there are things I wish I would have done but nothing I wish I would have done would have come with more consequences and sacrifices. I can buy an iPad w/o saving for weeks or months because of the hard work I did as a kid. owning an iPad or having a nice apartment and money to buy food and take trips is far more rewarding than blowing $200 on a night of drinking that forces me to be hungover and late to my job the next day.
Dang. you were fast at reading and commenting! You must have my blog in RSS? nnYeah and as I get older I can attest that there are things I wish I would have done but nothing I wish I would have done would have come with more consequences and sacrifices. I can buy an iPad w/o saving for weeks or months because of the hard work I did as a kid. owning an iPad or having a nice apartment and money to buy food and take trips is far more rewarding than blowing $200 on a night of drinking that forces me to be hungover and late to my job the next day.
Dang. you were fast at reading and commenting! You must have my blog in RSS? nnYeah and as I get older I can attest that there are things I wish I would have done but nothing I wish I would have done would have come with more consequences and sacrifices. I can buy an iPad w/o saving for weeks or months because of the hard work I did as a kid. owning an iPad or having a nice apartment and money to buy food and take trips is far more rewarding than blowing $200 on a night of drinking that forces me to be hungover and late to my job the next day.
Dang. you were fast at reading and commenting! You must have my blog in RSS? nnYeah and as I get older I can attest that there are things I wish I would have done but nothing I wish I would have done would have come with more consequences and sacrifices. I can buy an iPad w/o saving for weeks or months because of the hard work I did as a kid. owning an iPad or having a nice apartment and money to buy food and take trips is far more rewarding than blowing $200 on a night of drinking that forces me to be hungover and late to my job the next day.
Dang. you were fast at reading and commenting! You must have my blog in RSS? nnYeah and as I get older I can attest that there are things I wish I would have done but nothing I wish I would have done would have come with more consequences and sacrifices. I can buy an iPad w/o saving for weeks or months because of the hard work I did as a kid. owning an iPad or having a nice apartment and money to buy food and take trips is far more rewarding than blowing $200 on a night of drinking that forces me to be hungover and late to my job the next day.
Dang. you were fast at reading and commenting! You must have my blog in RSS? nnYeah and as I get older I can attest that there are things I wish I would have done but nothing I wish I would have done would have come with more consequences and sacrifices. I can buy an iPad w/o saving for weeks or months because of the hard work I did as a kid. owning an iPad or having a nice apartment and money to buy food and take trips is far more rewarding than blowing $200 on a night of drinking that forces me to be hungover and late to my job the next day.
Oh Adam, I agree with you completely.
However, most “kids” these days are, of course, going by the 'tried and true' (i guess) method of: do whatever you want when you're young, because when you're older you'll regret the things you didn't do more than the things you did.
I can see where people are coming from with this, but to apply it to such extremes.. they don't realize that it means to live your life, not abuse it.
But thats just my thought on the matter.
Dang. you were fast at reading and commenting! You must have my blog in RSS?
Yeah and as I get older I can attest that there are things I wish I would have done but nothing I wish I would have done would have come with more consequences and sacrifices. I can buy an iPad w/o saving for weeks or months because of the hard work I did as a kid. owning an iPad or having a nice apartment and money to buy food and take trips is far more rewarding than blowing $200 on a night of drinking that forces me to be hungover and late to my job the next day.