ETD, Pop: DJ Tiesto Kills the lights at the Palace

Electro Techno Disco Pop, one of the biggest techno events the Bay Area has to offer, has come and gone once again. My friends and I arrived a solid hour and half early, and were astounded by the amount of available parking. Though this is to be expected, as the Cow Palace can hold fifteen thousand raving fans.

Within the Cow Palace fans raved before a massive front stage area for the trance DJs, beneath a huge projector screen which played visuals above. There were four other dance stages set up with House, Breaks, Drum and Bass, and Hardcore themes.

As the palace started to fill up, it really came to life. Up in the front, I began to feel trapped within the crowd of ravers. The lights and the audience’s dancing glow sticks filled the dark room with energy. The air became thick with smoke from those who smuggled in cigarettes and marijuana.

The DJ lineup for the event was ridiculous—DJ Tiesto, Ferry Corsten, Markus Schulz, Deep Voices and twenty others. DJ Tiesto has to be the single most influential DJ of our time. Having traveled all over Europe, he has played almost everywhere you can think of, including the Turin Olympics.

It was incredible to see a live DJ who was so passionate about the music, constantly remixing it live for the fans.

I was pleasantly surprised with Marcus Schultz’s performance. I had never heard any of his music and I was very impressed. One friend I went with thought the visuals on the big screen weren’t very good. Though I honestly don’t think that’s a fair way to judge a DJ. It should be all about the music.

After a while, I decided to check out the shops. I was crazy thirsty and got a large soda, but it cost me $4.75—pretty much the most expensive drink I’ve ever bought in my life—because prices were inflated for the event.

Halfway through DJ Tiesto’s set of music, the power blew out. At first, people thought it was just a pause in the music and that it would build up again in a moment, but when it didn’t, the fans got angry. Technicians came out with flashlights trying to fix it, but unfortunately the power was out for good. So, the rave was over an hour early, but overall the fans were happy with the performance.