EDC LAS Vegas 2026 Day 2 I woke up around one or two, needing electrolyte drinks and breakfast. Thankfully, our Hotel Room was stocked with both. Oatmeal, a breakfast bar, and LMNT filled my stomach as I recovered a bit. Next thing I knew, I was at Dayclub. It was my first time at a […]
EDC LAS Vegas 2026 Day 2
I woke up around one or two, needing electrolyte drinks and breakfast. Thankfully, our Hotel Room was stocked with both. Oatmeal, a breakfast bar, and LMNT filled my stomach as I recovered a bit. Next thing I knew, I was at Dayclub. It was my first time at a day club. Rich, famous, and successful people belong at dayclubs, not broke losers like me. As an oddly shaped puzzle piece, it’s hard to relax. As I wrestled with my internal doubts, Tyler got us a Pitcher of alcohol.
Tyler was well-spoken, kind, and nice. There had to be some sort of catch, right? Like Hachiman in Oregairu, people who are nice to me are nice to everyone, or they’re trying to get something out of me.
As the alcohol hit my bloodstream and I began to relax into the pool and environment, I let my guard down. The sun warmed us as we made conversation about life, music, and work. The longer we talked, the more I realized that staying guarded all the time was a waste of energy. Life is better when you open up and get to know people. Despite how hurt you feel over past grievances, there are more good people in the world than bad. At least it’s better to believe that.
Making Waves
The main DJ came out, and the energy climbed along with it. Timmy Trumpet brought the energy I thought was reserved for nighttime. The crowd in the pool and in front of the stage exploded in waves of energy. Splashing water added to the spectacle and enjoyment of the dayclub as full-grown adults splashed in the cold water like kids again.
After twenty minutes, Tyler signaled that it was time to go. We grabbed food at a local sandwich place before Tyler also went out of his way to show us some of the secrets of the Cosmopolitan Hotel. It was clear he had cherished memories of the building in the stories about the walls and halls we walked through.
After a quick shower and change, we were ready to hit the festival again. It was nice to be able to leisurely take our time as opposed to being a step behind, like I was the other day.
Bus Beats
I was on the Bus again before I knew it. Having a group to belong to felt reassuring. I can’t stop the nagging feeling of not having “Somewhere to Belong” despite my friends all around the world. Though I felt the definition of friend had weakened over the years. Still exhausted from the last night, I nodded off a couple of times while drinking a mixed drink. Should I be putting a depressant in my body while tired?
I shook of my tiredness with some dubstep as one of the people on my bus happened to be a DJ, so we played his mix. I was a tad jealous because the only audience I mixed for a while was my empty bedroom. As an artist, self-belief was important, but I don’t remember the last time I believed in myself. The one thing I believed was that I was going to fuck something again! Being a tour Leader, was nice, but now I was happy to just be a follower.
Long Car Rides are for Reflection
Being a Tour Leader in Japan was one of my favorite Jobs. There’s no doubt in my mind I would have stayed in Japan if I had been compensated more fairly. Even if I didn’t get paid that well not having sustainable work hours, and the possibility of career advancement was demoralizing. Even though I loved Japan there were perks of living in the US. . . The land of excess and abundance. Las Vegas was the pinnacle of hedonism and unnecessary extravagance, and spending. Still light out as we approached the motorspeedway, the scale of the complex made the amount of wealth in the country abundantly clear.
Being a part of a small pack now I felt that I could be less guarded than before. Being in a small safety net allows you to relax, especially when there are other people taking charge.
Nobiri Marco
There was irony in being called “LaidbackMarco” and having to lead 16 foreigners around every aspect of Japan. I wasn’t a fan of decision-making, but apparently introverts were good at it. I was happy to just follow along this time. Tyler was generous enough to loan me some hearing protection. Modern earbuds are able to reduce audio amplitude without sacrificing sound quality.
In our little train of friends, navigating the awkward crowd dynamics of the festival became a lot easier. We carved out a space next to the main stage. Dancing, bathrooms, decisions, and staying together were a new dynamic as meeting up after a losing line of sight became a nightmare. I understood why you needed a totem among the various moving trains, signs, lasers, production equipment, pyrotechnics, and overstimulation.
Lose Yourself to Dance
After we made our way to the Kinetec Stage, we carved out a little space for our friend group. It was a lot easier to get out of your own head when you were part of a larger group. I found myself dancing in our little spot while singing to songs that were now considered EDM anthems. There are times when the group would join in a little friendship huddle or times when we pulled out what dance moves we could in a confined space. Being so close to the main stage, we had to communicate with hand signals and gestures, as if I were in Japan all over again. Music has a weird way of making people open up and start trusting each other. I could see why people became a lot closer after festivals, as much euphoria as you experience, it’s also a trauma bond that develops when you fight heat, crowds, dehydration, and long lines to see the perfect set or watch everyone’s favorite DJs. I was happy to be accpected with open arms.
EDC Downtown and the Bromance
We stood in a line of couples. Some of them are married, engaged, or just dating. But we were here for a bromance. I was way too old when I realized love comes in different shapes. It’s not always romantic; why is envy a recurring theme in my writing? God, I’m unbearable. It was no mystery why, after all these years in life, I felt I didn’t have a best friend anymore. I was probably hard to get along with.
When you open your heart to love, it can be between friends, a parent and their child, or even something like honest feedback. It was a wholesome experience to watch everyone show P.L.U.R., which was a concept that I still failed to grasp. PLUR was an attitude that I had in everyday life, not just something for a festival. The people I didn’t have PLUR for were kept on a short list.
Similar to a state fair or carnival, there were plenty of other things to do at the Festival. After the bromance union, we walked to a collection of food trucks. The night before, I fought off the appetizing smells because I was a cheap ass. But as the group went to get food, I didn’t want to look like that much of a brokie, so I paid a staggering $20 for a rice bowl. . . Oh, how I was really missing the 420 Yen Gyudon from Matsuya.
One By One
After eating, we looked around for one of our group members who had given us an Irish goodbye. I scoured the area, but he was gone. It was going to be a nightmare to track him down with no service. Initially, I thought we would try to regroup, but as I looked at our remaining members, who seemed unbothered. As a tour leader, it would have been a nightmare. We all came to the same conclusion: he would probably be fine because he’s an adult. Also, he was completely sober, I was sure he’d turn up at the hotel the next morning about the different sets he had seen.
Making our way from stage to stage, we lost another one of our group. . .it was our leader. The security I felt had quickly evaporated. A part of me felt like a lost child until I remembered we are all mostly responsible adults(I’m not responsible at all). Squatting down to rest my legs, the last remaining group member and I made it to Wasteland. The flaming pillars kept me warm; Dakota and I scanned the horizon for our friend. Warm shadows danced around with the flames. After receiving a text from Tyler, he would be coming to meet us at Wasteland.
Relieved, I took a deep breath before reaching for my camera; at least with things looking up, I could record some B-Roll for the video I was going to make… Right??? Where my camera had been, I felt nothing but air. Fuck I’m so dumb. How did I manage to lose something with an arm strap? Was it dropped, or stolen, or both?
For a few hours, EDC Las Vegas Day 2 had made me feel like I was part of something. A group. A rhythm. A little train of people moving through the chaos together.
Then, in one empty reach, that feeling disappeared.
There was no way people could afford nearly $800 for a ticket and still steal here, right?
PLUR and all that?
