Opportunity is everywhere, and lately I’ve been taking as many that come my way. So that’s how I ended up going to Euphoria Music Festival with three random friends on a last ditch effort to catch Bassnectar’s Saturday set. I had my eye on it for months and didn’t think I could make it without taking time off work (adulting is so hard sometimes!). A week before the show, I saw someone post in an Atlanta Bass Heads Facebook group that they were in the same boat as me, and if anyone was down to make the drive. I thought about it and it almost seemed too easy. But this is what family does; we help each other do the crazy things we love (bass chasing at it finest!). So I jumped on board, bought my ticket and let the ‘I can’t believe I’m actually doing this’ feeling sink in. No one knew what to expect.
EUPHORIA MUSIC FESTIVAL
Photo by aLIVE Coverage.
We spent Saturday afternoon checking out some performers and wandering around the festival. From the minute we got there, it just felt different. My friends said it had a total CounterPoint vibe to it, which gave us warm fuzzy feelings since we’re all still sad about its retirement. Everything felt laid back and perfectly happy. Plus it was #KeepAustinBeautiful day, so it was the perfect way to show that so many music fans can come together and have an amazing time while still being responsible and caring for our surroundings.
There was such a collectiveness throughout the festival, especially with how it was managed. The volunteers placed a huge emphasis on safety, which is something I don’t see in many festivals. In between sets there were announcements about looking out for one another and what to do if someone needs help. I have so much respect for that, and I also didn't see or hear about any emergency situations arise. I was impressed by the communication and social media strategies, too (and had so many marketing nerd moments). Seriously, they killed it on every platform from Instagram to Snapchat and everything in between. Management can make or break a festival, and Euphoria exceeded on all levels in pulling off an outstanding event.
This weekend we found our Euphoria. Thank you to our fam for showing us the true meaning of happiness. #Euphoria2016 pic.twitter.com/NhtnIOfj1B
— #Euphoria2016 (@EuphoriaMusFest) April 11, 2016
I saw as many artists as I could, and the way the festival was set up made it easy to bounce between stages (perfect for my bursts of spontaneity). So many artists I had never heard of before! I’m definitely going to be checking out more music from Skydyed, Dream Child, Medasin, Com Truise and Shiba San (and you should too!). Other sets I saw were Break Science, Lettuce and GRiZ, which was the perfect warmup for the man we came for.
FRIENDLY FACES
Photo by SensibleReason.com
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As the night set in, I went and met up with a group of Bass Heads before we all ran off to the main stage. It was so great to meet even more people who make up this community. We all have so much in common outside of being Bassnectar fans. It feels so good to be around such a supportive and positive group of people. One of my favorite moments was meeting up with my new bass friend Hannah! I’m so excited for the future of the community. After this weekend, it feels like more people are becoming infected by the good vibes and our family is getting bigger by the minute.
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THE NIGHT OF A LIFETIME
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Then it came time for the moment we had all been waiting for. Bassnectar day had turned to night and everyone was buzzing, getting themselves geared up, tying shoelaces extra tight, getting hydrated and stretching before the massive mind-body experience that was about to take over.
This set was so magical and special that I dedicated an entire post to recapping it. The inspiration I felt afterwords was unreal. His set captured the meaning of Euphoria perfectly, and the beautiful, unsolicited clean up effort afterword was the icing on the cake.
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Going into this trip with no solid game plan should have given me more anxiety than it did (I think my mom had enough for the both of us). I didn’t know the guys I was traveling with very well, we didn’t know where we were going to sleep, we didn’t even know we were going until a week before the show! But I took the opportunity anyway, and I regret nothing. I made it one of my 101 in 1001 goals to take an unplanned spur of the moment trip because its way out of my comfort zone, and I’m proud I’m able to cross this one off (and start progress on my goal to visit three new states)!
The full road trip crew!
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I left Austin full of shared experiences with friends I know I’ll be seeing around in the (very near!) future. Euphoria was beyond special. I found a part of myself there, and it blows my mind that this experience could have been lost if I wasn’t willing to take the chance. Embrace your opportunities, spread positivity and find your own special Euphoria wherever you go.
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