Detroit Electronic Music Festival 2000
Not only was this festival free, not to mention kick ass, it broke a record for the largest free music festival of its kind in the world (according to
Liz Copeland, festival speaker and Detroit radio DJ}. The attendance was listed at 900,000 people for 3 days. The crowd was mixed between all types of classes, races, ages and social groups. The performers were simply incredible. Detroit's founding fathers of
techno preformed to a crowd so massive and joyful that you could not help but be swept away into the group mind. Several times as the last acts of the festival played (
Richie Hawkin and
Derrick May) I heard several people exclaim, "This is the greatest fucking night of my life". Not one episode of violence marred this festival, at least as far as I was aware.
So of the highlights of the festival to me, besides the more popular performers were...
Finally getting to see DJ Spooky (even if the crowd wasn't as ecstatic as me)
Seeing this awesome kid who must have been 6 years old, who could breakdance like you wouldn't believe. (seriously, windmills and headstands and all kinds of things) This kid had it going on.
Running into a whole lot of people that I hadn't seen in a while.
A sense of unity and finally a pride that maybe Detroit is finally doing something right for a change.
See you there next year
Btw.. I know about the errors and lack of hard links but I really have to go be back later to fix...