Upon arriving at the Enchanted Forest, we were greeted with lasers and 150,000K watts of pure PK Sound! Cesqeaux, one of Yellow Claw’s protégés, was tearing up the stage as the bass shook our bones. Unfortunately, his set was cut short because the doors opened later than anticipated, something he continually apologized for. While we were sad to see him go, Trampa kept the energy going with a bass heavy set that had us breaking our necks from start to finish.
The Enchanted Forest Stage (Photo: DMNW Team)
As the night progressed, we noticed an issue at the Enchanted Forest: it was too narrow! The stage was placed at the end of a hallway that wasn’t wide, nor long enough. By 11 PM, it seemed like people were trying to squeeze into this hall, emphasis on the word “squeeze”. Think of pouring liquid through a funnel. You got the wide opening and narrow ending, the liquid being a sea of ravers, and the ending being the stage. WaMu theater isn’t as big as the Tacoma Dome, so finding a better location for this stage would be quite difficult…maybe place it outside? Either way, while navigating this area was a physical effort, the reward was too good to pass up.
You know what else was too good to pass up? Above & Beyond! The British trance trio was scheduled to perform at Resolution 2014 but couldn’t make it due to travel troubles. While they came back to Seattle for some re-scheduled Group Therapy since that fateful night, our hearts still jumped with joy when we saw them on the Reso ’17 lineup last November. Apparently we weren’t the only ones, as the main stage was literally filled wall-to-wall as the clock inched closer toward midnight.
Above & Beyond. PACKED. (Photo: DMNW Team)
With a few minutes to 12, it was time for some Blue Sky Action. The crowd would sing along as the anticipation for 2017 grew. With ten seconds left in 2016, the music was cut and a countdown was initiated on the main LED screen. “Five, four, three, two, one! Happy New Year!” The crowd went into a frenzy when the clock hit 12 AM, as balloons and confetti rained from the ceiling, Blue Sky Action playing in the background. At that moment, we truly felt like kings (and queens) for a day.
Positive vibes were aplenty, as the feeling of a fresh start hit our bodies. A&B would play for thirty more minutes, offering typed words of friendship and celebration on the LED screens; beautiful trance playing in the background. They closed their set with an acoustic version of A Thing Called Love, a perfect reminder to not forget about love, solid words of wisdom following a rough year for many. Who knows what 2017 will hold, but A&B’s set told the story of how we can get through tough times if we have each other’s back.
Important things happen in Pacific Northwest nightlife, and DMNW will send you alerts!
