09.30
Nocturnal Wonderland 2009 Review by guest author Cameron Howard from UCLA
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Insomniac knows how to produce a music festival, and Nocturnal was no exception. The long drive out to rave country (San Bernardino) was made worth it by the spacious venture complete with an impressive water feature and 6 talent packed stages. We arrived around 11 o’clock and snagged some free parking with a walk, laughably on E street. Upon arriving we quickly grabbed the set times and head over to the Big Top Tent, managing to catch the end of Green Velvet’s set and just in time to watch as Laidback Luke stepped up to the tables and started to make pure magic. His combination of hard hitting original tracks like “Leave the World Behind,” “Hey,” “Elevator”; blended superbly with remixes of new favorites like “I’ve Got a Feeling” by the Blacked Eyed Peas, made his brief 2 hour set one of the most memorable by far. However, the artist that eclipsed all others was none other then the headliner, Ferry Corsten. Having never seen him live and holding some doubts about his Twice in a Blue Moon performance being a sad attempt to best Armin, I couldn’t have been proven more wrong. Listening to single tracks on my iPod could never have done justice for the incredible performance that this European Supernova dropped in Sin Bernardino.
The 6 stages gave options to please all EDM lovers, but the people is what completed the night. Security was extremely understanding when my dumb ass forgot my light gloves and got to enjoy the 2 mile run through scenic San Bernardino back to my car. When I got back inside I was relieved to see the venue to be somewhere in between the over-crowded sweating mass of EDC and the near empty dance floor seen at the smaller weekly events, with enough room for me to step back from the crowds near the stages and give out some light-shows.
I ended the night in the Upside Down Room listening to DJ Dan and Donald Glaude, wishing that I could rewind the clock from all the way back to 10. As the last beat hit and the National Orange Show event center grew quiet, you could make out the growing chat of “ONE MORE SONG.” Unfortunately the demand went unanswered and people slowly started to make their way to the only exit. Nocturnal was a combination of the perfect size venue, crowd, amazing artists, and incredible vibes from incredible people. Insomniac produced a festival that could not disappoint the harshest critic and was also a spectacular way to celebrate my birthday.
© 2009, M Silin. All rights reserved.
