I Was A Teenage Raver Part 4: Not-So-Super Happenings (Opinion)

The year was 2012: I was fresh off the most legendary party I’d ever been too, let alone had the opportunity to throw, and I was beaming. 24 hours after we shut down, I started planning my next installment. But this time, I was going massive. The time had come, I thought, to bring Superfriends into the festival game and make it a multi-day, multi-stage event, here on Vancouver Island. It seemed like an incredible idea, ignoring the fact that I freshly graduated from university with 50k in student loan debt, and was working for minimum wage at a movie theatre.

Also around this time, I became headhunted. A couple of friends of mine came together and created D-Blok Studios, an independant record label and studio. They approached me to shut down my already successful brand and join their collective full time as their head of events, which at the time seemed like a really good idea. It wasn’t, and I know that now, but that wasn’t the not so super happening. . .

Firstly, we made a lineup and booked a couple of the shining stars of the festival scene today, including The Funk Junkie, who’s close-out sets at Shambhala Music Festival proved legendary back in the day, as well as The Suckerpunches, made up of Alberta hot shot Rylan Fox and island vet Steve-O. Then, it was time to search for a venue that would accommodate a large group of ravers camping for a weekend.

We found one, a perfect one actually, but it needed some work. The venue owner took a 1000 dollar deposit, and gave us unimpeded access to the grounds. So, we decided to cut our losses, cancel the festival for that year, and instead throw a one night event with all the headliners already booked. Seemed simple, and let’s be real here, the party went off and everyone had an incredible time. But, there was something about the attendance that didn’t feel right.

In the morning, we found out that the venue owner did not own the land at all, and had stolen our money, and had a road block set up to block access to the venue, so no one could get in.

I lost it all: lost it and felt awful. It was hollowing, and I knew this had to be the end. I had put myself into too many pitfalls to continue jeopardizing my well-being like this anymore. So, I officially cancelled Superfriends, as a series, and threw in the towel. This looked like the end, and I was okay with that. That actually would have been my retirement from the scene itself, but as we all know, you can’t go out without one last blow out. I didn’t know it yet, but that blow out would reignite my love for the scene and make something beautiful.

Well, how are we liking it? Any suggestions? Let us know!