Decadence NYE Denver – A serious event to ring in the New Year
I think it’s only appropriate that I start this recap by saying, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! I hope everyone had a safe and exciting end of the year. 2017 is in the past and we get a fresh start to make 2018 the best year yet. I don’t know about you, but that thought keeps me moving. Like some of the beautiful people reading this, 2017 wasn’t my favorite year. However, I always keep a certain quote in mind for these exact situations.
“It’s not where you start – it’s where you finish that counts.” – Zig Ziglar
This year we finished exactly where we needed to be, at Decadence NYE Denver, Colorado!! Thanks to the awesome people at Global Dance US, Odesza was the first thing we heard in 2018. This event brings the world’s top electronic acts to the Mile High for a weekend of basstastic music and out of this world visuals. Here’s how it went down through my eyes.
Photos By MLHobby Photo
When you first enter the doors of the massive Denver Convention Center, you are greeted by the warm up DJ to get you instantly moving. Anyone who has attended a major outdoor event knows the “Feels” you get when you first walk in. This can be lost sometimes when the event is indoors or in a club setting. Decadence NYE Denver is a festival, so having that effect is necessary, which they accomplished very well. Plus, the convention center is huge so this also helps avoid an awkwardly long silent period while you make your way through security. Once you reach the top of the escalators, you’re thrown right into the madness.
The way you enter the City of Tomorrow is pretty much the same from any entrance. You either walk into the Vault Stage or the Grid Stage and the silent disco is in the center. Depending on what time you walk in determines how crazy a rabbit hole you’re thrown down. The darkness surrounds you instantly, as the only light that remains is what the visual directors allow you to have. Giant DNA balloons, lasers and other light up installations fill the ceiling, to disguise some of the vastness of the venue.
The three rooms of Decadence NYE Denver are offer a variety of sounds to enjoy from year to year. The center room is to get away from the chaos and experience more than just music. Vendors, light shows, domes and even Virtual Reality gives the attendees something to experience when the music becomes too intense. It’s also home to the Silent Disco. Three acts going at once gives you the power to choose the genre of music you want to dance to. Every year I love to spend a lot of time in the Silent Disco because it always has something unexpected. It’s also fun to hear half of the crowd cheer to a drop you didn’t hear!
Deciding which stage to party at is purely personal preference when you’re in attendance. It solely depends on what you want to listen to. With the addition of more lights, more screens, and upgraded visuals it produced a mind-blowing show. The acts themselves are the providers of the sights and sounds, so it’s on them to keep you visually entranced. When your line up includes Odesza, Galantis, Bassnectar, Big G, Armin Van Buuren, Louis the Child…. the video screens and laser beams are as exceptional as what’s coming out of the speakers.
The one thing that blows me away every year is the balloon drop. Decadence has perfected this tradition by dropping a giant mass of large balloons, blanketing the main stage audience at the stroke of midnight. This year it was to the tune of Odesza’s Unreleased Trap song that we rang in the glorious year of 2018. This is one of my all time favorite songs that the boys save for live audiences, hence unreleased being in the title. As the clock hit midnight they turned the bass up and shook the crowd to the familiar trap drop. Adding in the lights and the balloons dancing in unison was mesmerizing and will send chills down your spine. It’s worth witnessing live at least once, or in my case, five times.
Decadence NYE Denver will be around for a long time. If you have not had the chance to witness it’s magic, I suggest you check it out. It’s magnitude of size, lineup, and attention to detail will forever solidify it’s spot in the yearly festival must-see list. Happy New Year to you amazing people, until next time!