Who doesn’t love colorful outfits, pounding bass and 19 year old drunk girls? Yeah, that’s right I’m talking about LoveParade, I mean, LoveFest, no no I mean LovEvolution, It’s LovEvolution now, so don’t get confused! I enjoy this confusion, even. (I’ve been going to it since three names ago.) This is my fifth year going to this event, and in some respects it is my favorite of the year, and in others the least.
I live right downtown at the start of this shindig, granted I am ten floors up but the wattage supported by most of the floats simply laughs at the idea of traveling ten stories up. Right around 9:30 AM, the sound check for the floats stated. I had been playing with the idea of ditching work and going, but up until this point I was less then 100% sure about it; that is, until I heard the music. I don’t really know what it is or how it works, but there is something that i absolutely LOVE about electronic music: it simply summons me! As soon as I heard the music I was dressed and armed with my camera and ready to have a blast–I assumed–all my my lonesome.
I wondered around the parade stating area for a little bit, and seeing as how I know absolutely no one in the electronic music world I felt a little bit lonely. However, once the parade started I cared no longer as to who I knew or who knew me, It was time to dance. Admittedly I feel that some floats play better music than others, but this year I was for sure feeling the drum and bass floats and hung around them for a little bit. I soon found my way to my two favorite floats, the Solid Gold and Sundae/Skills. I guess that they play the most “mainstream” music, if that’s possible. Solid Gold became my favorite last year, something about that float just makes everyone around it super sexy! The Sundae/Skills float had been my favorite since my first Love Parade (if that’s what it was called back then).
After a about an hour of parading, I decided to show my face at work, full well knowing that I was going to leave in a few hours. After about three hours I was over it and decided to leave and go back to the fun!
A few hours had now passed from the end of the parade to the beginning of the actual festival at the Civic Center. I emerged from the underground to the chaos that I was expecting. A lot of this Parade/ Festival is definitely an excuse for people to behave badly. I don’t really mean that people are exactly bluntly breaking the law; moreso, a clearly defined lack of self respect and responsibility. It was interesting to watch the drug user interact with the drug provider so obviously outside the festival gates. There would be a group of people: half users, half procivers. The provider looked about as out of place as Steve Wozniak at a Keak da Sneak show in Oakland. This to me just illustrated how large the side-crowd of 19 year old girls puking their brains up was going to be.
Once at the gates to pay my mandatory ten-dollar entrance fee a huge sense of disorganization had taken me over. I was unclear where the lines were and which streets were entrances and which were exits. Once I did actually find an entrance, it was really just a herd of people being funneled through a teeny tinny opening to pay their ten and get in. I don’t want to harp on the organizers too much. There is no doubt that the planning of an event of this size defines arduous, and I commend them for an overall wonderful experience! Truthfully, and in total honesty, I appreciate the hard work and dedication put into this, but next year, please take a good hard look at how to make the filtering-in process less convoluted and more pleasurable. When a donation turns into an entrance fee, the people who are in attendance are now customers. Enough on that, though.
Once I was inside, the music was wonderful, pleasurable and warm! As I circled the Civic Center taking pictures and dancing I realized that the feeling that I had at the start of the parade was in sharp contrast to the one I had inside the festival. Everyone was nice and had an obvious desire to be there, for the most part. It made me realize that the San Francisco electronic music scene is one of the most welcoming and loving communities of music that one could experience. I look forward to making my way out to more events in the SF electronic music world on behalf of Spinning Platters, and next time I’ll make sure to have cards! Sorry to those of you who had to listen to me yell “SPINNING PLATTERS DOT COM– LIKE A TURN TABLE” and if you actually found us from that thank you!
Please take a few moments to look over the giant photo gallery below. I had a blast taking them and hope you enjoy them! They do my best to illustrate the fun of LovEvolution 2009.
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