The first thing I noticed when I got there was the absence of ravers. To be specific, candy ravers. This was obviously due to the 18+ age limit on the Icehouse. I can't say if I felt happy or sad. It was just different. On the plus side, there were no hot, sweaty and dirty human puddles made of a bunch of 14 year olds piled up on top of one another, whacked out on E and K. On the other hand, the usual warm human vibe was lacking a little. Way too many people from Scottsdale showed up with expensive dresses that would never get dirty and boobs that daddy bought for xmass.

Now, I'm not saying that all 14 year olds that attend raves are on drugs and I'm not saying that anyone who lives in Scottsdale or dresses nice is a phony air head. I'm just reporting my first impression, my gut reaction of the party that night. Besides, as we all always say, it's the music that counts, which was just as true on this night as it is on any other night. Once you got pass the obvious visual clues and tuned your ear to the music, you wouldn't miss the over abundance of candy necklaces and you wouldn't mind the VIP royalty. You'ld just close your eyes and emerge yourself in the music.

There were tables set up in the courtyard but, there were only about 4-5 people loosely dancing there. So, I headed inside. The smallest room had another DJ stand with even fewer people dancing. The Cathedral room was probably the busiest one were the VIP hung out for the night. Robert Oleysyck from Utopia was spinning, accompanied by the skillful drumming of Antonio Sacca. Antonio performed at Pompeii a couple times before at DYWD? Although I think his performance was more soulful and down to earth then, it was obvious to me that his skills have improved even more. His drum rolls were much more refined and creative and he was also stronger yet more relaxed. He played almost the entire night thru Jesse Saunders' set.

The big, enclosed room was dedicated to drum and base of TC Islam (of which, I heard very little) and the progressive trance of Jon Boy and Paul-E. The room was brought to life with intelligent dancing lights (but no tricolor lasers) and the Cathedral room walls were painted white and illuminated with many soft, colorful lights. It almost had a Romanesque or Greek quality about it.

Or, maybe I should say Greek as in the Fraternity. The VIP lounge there created an almost negative effect. I heard the girls in that circle would go around and find "cool" and "clean cut" looking people (mostly girls) to go and sit with them. So, you candy ravers should be glad you didn't make it there. It just wouldn't have worked. My guess is that since the city denied us all age events downtown, the promoters had no choice but to go after the rich crowd to cut their losses: Like bringing in a crowd that can afford $3 bottle water. Personally, I would have chosen a desert location. If you can't have all age access to the Icehouse, take the venue to the desert. It's the best thing nature provided us with when we are pushed to the wall by the politicians.

As much as some people have started to distance themselves from the younger crowd, it was obvious that it's the kids that bring the vibe to a rave, or at least, the freedom their presence represent. I know events such as Red Monkey has enough vibe for the entire city. But, that's a different crowd with different music. You couldn't have any success with house music at say, Golden. I think for the kind of music that was played at the Icehouse, the party should have been moved to an out door location because the message of the music and the feel of it was lost on most of the rich kids there who just wanted to flaunt their looks.

Looks like I trapped myself into a corner again with conflicting statements. Maybe it's because I want to be positive about everything all the time and end up criticizing both sides. I want to remain loyal to all of my underage friends. At the same time, I don't want to stereo type anyone with more money than myself. So, I'd criticize the upper class AND the cany kids while going around, taking pictures of them, smiling and shaking their hands. The last thing on my agenda is to act like a politician, trying to rally support from everyone. But, maybe I'd rather do that than stick my head in only one hole and close my eyes to all the other possibilities. So... I'm a cultural whore! At least I'm free and easy;)