Electric Daisy Carnival makes its Las Vegas return official
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Those holding out hope that Electric Daisy Carnival would soon return to Los Angeles can consider those dreams quashed. The three-day dance-driving extravaganza will return to Las Vegas in 2012, once again holding court at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Dates are set for the weekend of June 8, 2012, and tickets go on sale early, with three-day passes available beginning Nov. 1 and starting at $215. A VIP option is also available for $500, and single-day tickets will go on sale at a later date.
Promoted by Insomniac Events, Electric Daisy had worked with the L.A. Memorial Coliseum for 13 years before heading to Sin City for the 2011 edition. The 2010 Coliseum affair was mired in controversy, and resulted in the creation of a rave task force to take a closer look at festival safety and drug use.
Las Vegas, however, has taken quite nicely to Electric Daisy. ‘EDC in 2011 provided a tremendous boost to our local economy,’ said Chris Powell, president of the speedway. ‘Additionally, the promoter of EDC, Insomniac, demonstrated that it operates a well-organized, safe and secure event.’
The Times’ Randall Roberts covered the innagural Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas. He wrote, ‘Combined with lasers and lights, the gymnasts on trampolines, the spinning sounds and the overall feeling of ... Las Vegas, Electric Daisy Carnival proved not only a production success but quite possibly a portent.’
As covered heavily on this blog and elsewhere, Electric Daisy’s problems in L.A. began after a 15-year-old girl who attended the 2010 concert later died as a result of an overdose of MDMA, a drug commonly known as Ecstasy. Additionally, more than 100 at the event had to be taken to hospitals.
Adding fuel to the fire, The Times reported that a Coliseum administrator doubled as a paid consultant to the rave producer. Numerous efforts were made to convince L.A. officials that dance events were safe. Insomniac established an 18-and-over policy for all its events and pledged to have more medical staff on-site. Dance promoters, who were not named, even funded a flier distributed by the county’s Department of Public Health to warn concertgoers of the dangers of Ecstasy.
While Electric Daisy has found a happy home in Las Vegas, any mention of the event seems to stir up trouble in Los Angeles. This summer, a premiere for the concert film ‘Electric Daisy Carnival’ nearly ended in a riot after a DJ, Kaskade, announced that he would stage a surprise concert on Hollywood Boulevard.
ALSO:
Critic’s notebook: ‘Electric Daisy Carnival Experience’ doc offers another view
Electric Daisy Carnival premiere: Eyewitness accounts of Kaskade’s appearance
Electric Daisy leaving L.A. for Las Vegas; ‘Good riddance,’ says Coliseum commissioner
-- Todd Martens
