Global Dance Festival feat. AvB, Dieselboy, Kaskade at Red Rocks Amphiteatre

[DJPePe]

I'm currently in Colorado so that explains the post, for those who have never heard of the Red Rocks Amphiteatre, which I might add is an AMAZING venue that no other TX venue can compare to.

So yesterday, I attended an event held by Colorado promoters TriadDragons called Global Dance Festival(formerly Rave on the Rocks) and all I got to say is, wow. The event was amazing, featuring the likes of Armin van Buuren, Kaskade, Dieselboy, and BT, among others, held at the spectacular and breathtaking venue of the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, CO(west of Denver). I'm not actually new to attending the venue, but the last time I attended the venue was in July '99, when The Chemical Brothers and Fatboy Slim headlined the Rave on the Rocks organized by Colorado radio station KTCL, so it was a long ass time since then. But the minute I set foot to the venue, I knew I was in heaven. Listening to mesmerizing electronic music while dancing to the scenic Red Rocks with its amazing geologic formations and seeing the stars clearly visible at night was pure bliss at best.

Now on to the reviews for each performer:

Dieselboy - as expected, performed stellar. Had some wicked DnB tunes that I immediately recognized thrown in his set, such as some tracks by Pendulum(Voodoo People mix by them) and a couple of Concord Dawn tracks. Don't know what else to say, other than offer my praise towards his performance.

Kaskade - I have never seen Kaskade live(had a chance last summer when he was in Dallas, but chose to attend the Perfecto Presents tour with AvB, JXL, and Paul Oakenfold instead at the time) and he performed an awesome set with his usual deep house tunes, and some other ones I cannot currently ID at the moment. The crowd went wild though when he played his own track Steppin Out (not sure the remix) in his set in a ferocious climatic moment which was unparalleled. First time seeing him live, and have absolutely no regrets with his performance whatsoever.

BT - Now I have heard A LOT of comments about his rather "abysmal" DJ sets that have been the norm as of late. Anyone who has attended his performances which consisted not of turntables, but a live PA know about how satisfying they are. Although I have seen him live once, but I have never attended a live DJ set from his. Personally, I enjoyed listening to his Essential Mix from D.C. back in the day so I figured he would have some interesting track selection in his set. And soon enough, he did. I was impressed with his track selection moreso than his mixing skills. I did love how he threw down some classics, such as his own track Flaming June which made it worthwhile. I was surprised to see him play the Marc Norman mix of Somnambulist, which I heard previously during Tiesto's set in Dallas back in May, as well as the Ferry Corsten mix of The Force Of Gravity. His set was more progressive, with some tech funk elements thrown in for some added variety. But overall, I enjoyed it, to put it simply.

Armin van Buuren - Seeing him twice prior to this event, I know for sure he does not disappoint, and sure enough, he threw down an insane performance. I just love how he gets the crowd going wild with his own ways. He opened up his set appropriately for the atmosphere with Shipwrecked by Mike Foyle, then going on with some progressive elements then going into some melodic trance tracks, such as Re:Locate's Rogue. I was really hoping he would play his track with Racoon called Love You More, but sadly enough, he didn't. My disappointment was that the set only lasted an hour and a half, but given the last time I went was extremely crowded, it wasn't much of a deal. I would rather have a 1 1/2 hour set with room to dance in AND BREATHE than a 4 hour set in an extremely crowded venue. The set was still very appropriate in lieu of the breathtaking Red Rocks so that's another high mark in regards to that.

Overall, I had a great time which no event in Texas can even attempt to compare to. Nothing beats dancing to electronic music in the beautiful Red Rocks overseeing the Rockies amidst some of the nicest weather in summertime.

[Joseph V]

Raves Are Better In Colorado.....

[Zane]

I went two years ago when PVD headlined. Best venue I've ever seen. Only the steps are really steep and I always thought some E'd out raver was gonna fall down them. Was it during the day this time?

[DJPePe]

It was from 5pm-1am

[Deff Gordon]

i wish i was there when U2 filmed the "Sunday Bloody Sunday" video.

[DJPePe]

http://www.denverunderground.com/pho...umName=gdf2006

More pics there.