I will be the first one to admit, I was worried that we might see a repeat of Dada Land Miami as I pictured the crowds gathering outside the Ice Palace with their $1 tickets and too much excitement. I pictured the guys who bought scalped tickets – getting denied at the door. I pictured the security guards going out of their way and making sure their buddies made it in above the ticket holders. I pictured police raising hell in the street as if standing on the asphalt was like the “don’t step on lava game” when we were kids.
When I arrived for check-in it was just in time to see a full-on halt on entries while the Fire Marshall was quickly escorted through the crowd and into the venue to ensure its safety. The staff seemed to be unsure of what to do and went on a complete lockdown at all entries even the restroom entrance. The bathroom access became a one way door giving you the ultimatum of “If you go to the bathroom you might not get back in.” At one side, we have a line of people who were simply trying to re-enter after using the outdoor porta-potties while at the front was 4-5 lanes of people waiting to steep through the rattling door frame into the obviously banging party.
The next part impressed me.
A guy, holding a Deadmau5 binder stands up at the door entrance with now a drop of sweat on his forehead and calmly announces that everything will be OK, everyone will get in, and thank you to everyone for making life easier for them by just keeping calm. True to his word, the fire Marshall walks out – makes a phone call – then boom the doors are open to freely enter and leave for the rest of the night.
The Ice Palace is by far the best place to host a electronic music event in South Florida and I am pretty comfortable in saying that! The staff was sporting full suites with employees constantly circulating the venues keeping the floor clean and clear. The sound was insane loud and the acoustics of the large warehouse like room was impressive. The perfectly manicured lawn featured seating and hammocks strung between the up-lit palm trees with multiple bars selling everything from $1 cups of ice to a $18 double scotch. It seemed that every 30 ft of the ceiling had a new lighting truss, sporting several blinking, flashing and spinning lights to keep the senses heightened. Speakers were staggered throughout the whole space, offering people in the lawn just enough bass to keep the vibes going but not so much as you couldn’t carry on a conversation.
Seeing this event go smoothly meant more for me than seeing the actual show. Having Deadmau5 announcing to the whole world that Miami has shitty electronic fans could possibly convince some acts to just steer clear from South Florida.
The show was full of energy with shoulder to shoulder crowds from the front to the back with body heat warming the place like a sauna. The music almost never stopped other than a few words from the Mau5 himself.
The two things that frustrated me about this event are as follows:
- The tagline for the event was “No Cheese For VIP” but literally there was a VIP area. Now it looked empty when I walked by so maybe it was a joke? There was also a VIP bathroom but I walked right in, so I don’t think that was being enforced OR it was also a joke.
- As usual, the shit-covered dark porta potties had no toilet paper so girls were forced to either shake dry or sneak a handful of napkins from the bar or bathroom attendants. They outdoor bathroom area also featured those foot pump hand wash stations that never EVER seem to have water in them – guess what…..they were all dry within an hour of the show starting. I think they were delivered empty?
Other than that, it was a great show!