I Was A Teenage Raver Pt 3: Superfriends! (Opinion)

January 18th, 2008. 3am. 

I hear my phone ringing, no idea what is going on. Ignore it, try and get back to sleep. Rings again, finally give in and pick it up. It’s my friend Xavier, who is also headlining the party with his partner-in-crime Wes Beanz as W.A.X. He’s talking quickly and excitedly. All he says is “Superfriends,” and immediately I know exactly what he meant.

We’d been brainstorming about party names, and he chose the best one. The entire roster of artists were all best friends, this was perfect. I knew exactly when I heard it, that I’d found my name. It was simple, it marketed well, and it summed up the party really nicely, in my opinion. So I ran with it, and the rest is basically history!

At that point, I had a theme, I had a concept and I had a lineup, all I needed was…well, everything else. I realized that I was in WAY over my head, and without missing a beat, I had a crew behind me ready to make the whole thing happen, including silent investors and even a renegade stage provided by my mentors at 4TheMusic. It happened to be one of the best experiences of my life, despite the fact that I lost all the money I made and ended up having to call my mom for a ride home after, I learned a valuable lesson. It’s okay to ask for help.

Despite how I felt about the outcome, the party appeared well-received and immediately people started asking me about a sequel, which is something that I never really considered before. Throwing parties was meant to be a hobby that I did once or twice to amuse myself in the summer, but it soon became something I was becoming pretty good at.

So, I started scouring Vancouver Island for up and coming talent to showcase at Superfriends 2: Even More Friends. I managed to find some pretty good ones, including a fresh-faced Neon Steve in his earlier days of DJing, prior to becoming the neon clad ambassador of the West Coast scene. Before I knew it, Superfriends solidified itself as one of the premiere series in Vancouver Island rave history. There were ups and downs of course, but finally, after 3 false starts, Superfriends 2011 broke through the barrier. Topping out at almost 2000 people piled into the forest, with 3 international headliners and an after party that lasted til Tuesday, the future was bright for this one.

But as something always does, trouble was looming. Next up, I’ll let you know why you always read fine print, and you never want to try and run before you walk.

What do you think thus far? Do you have any experiences in the promoting or event organizing aspect of the industry? Share your thoughts comments!