April 29, 2025
I went to a rave for the first time last month. It was 8pm. I picked up my best friend Erica from her house. A coyote sped across the road in front of us. That was weird. She lied to her parents that we were doing a sleepover (which isn't exactly untrue). But instead of laying around in my bedroom watching comfort movies, we got ready and were out of the door by 9 so we could get some food, pregame in the parking lot, and head inside the warehouse at 10 on the dot. Was it too early for us? Probably. The opening acts occupied the first two hours before the main artists, Ninajirachi and Umru, took center stage.
We devoured our In-N-Out burgers while sitting in my car and chased down the grease with some Buzz Balls that Erica bought at the liquor store. I had the chocolate flavor while she had the blue raspberry. As a lightweight and hater of hard alcohol, I grimaced at the alcohol taste mixed with milk chocolate. Not a good combination. I gulped down my side order of pink lemonade in hopes of washing down that chemically taste.
I'm not the type of person who drinks for the sake of getting drunk, but Erica was committed to that being the plan tonight. She drank her entire Buzz Ball and the half-finished Buzz Ball I was nursing. She pulled out a couple 30ml bottles of shooters from her bag, ready to down what was basically isopropyl alcohol in one go. My hesitancy and worry was apparent. I could never do what she was ready and willing to do in that moment. Noticing my concern, Erica settled with a couple gulps before stashing it away, worried about the security people confiscating it.
We head inside the Rickhouse, which was more of a indie music venue than a "secret location" that Maybe Forever stated on the tour flyer. The security guard at check-in barely flashed his light in Erica's bag and didn't even check our pockets. So we could have brought those shooters inside regardless. I was in a slightly tipsy mood. Erica did not feel buzzed at all despite drinking more than me. What's worse though was that my stomach wasn't feeling good. The chocolate Buzz Ball and pink lemonade combination was probably curdling in my stomach. I felt the bass vibrating through my body, inducing a migraine-nausea-headache that had me going to the bathroom more often than not.
On a mission to get more-than-tipsy tonight, Erica grabbed a $20 all-you-can-drink wristband and ordered a Vodka Redbull. I got a bottle of water. More people started to come in and populate the space. There were only two lines queued up to the bar and they were getting long, so we snagged a spot in line to get more drinks before Nina starts her set.
At this point, my migraine-nausea-headache was unbearable. I exited the line to reset myself in the bathroom. I hovered my head over the toilet seat, dry-heaving and retching in hopes to vomit the burger-chocolate-alcohol-lemonade out of my system. But that didn't happen. I couldn't make it happen. The last time I threw up all over the place was at a high school friend's birthday rager in Boulder during finals week.
Before walking back to the line, I saw a flyer next to the bathroom sink. It wasn't there earlier tonight. "If you need earplugs, water, a break, or anything else please talk to one of our staff in the yellow vests." Oh, that's why I was seeing people in construction vests walking around. I walked back to the line where Erica moved closer up to the front. "Are you okay?" she asked. "Yeah, I feel better," I replied. Kind of? Sort of? Not really. "I'm gonna go to one of the staff to ask for earplugs," I announced. A construction vest walked me back towards the entrance, handing me a pair of cheap earbuds from a plastic jug. They were entirely too big for my ears. I had to squeeze them into my narrow sockets. "Actually, I have some better ones," the same guy circled back and handed me a pair of blue earplugs connected by a thin rope. Oh yeah. These were much better. The bass softened on my body.
Erica got another Vodka Redbull. She handed me the same thing, only the canned non-alcoholic kind. "You'll need the energy for tonight." We headed back to the left side of the warehouse, just in time for Ninajirachi. Blue lights flooded the space. Spoofed up Windows 95 graphics flashed on the screen. I danced, pumped my hands and chest to the beat. This is what I needed. This is what I wanted to feel the entire night.
Towards the end of Nina's set, Erica went back in line to grab order her third Vodka Redbull. Gotta take advantage of the $20 wristband deal. Feeling bad I walked to her spot in line to dance and keep her company for a bit. Dancing's not so fun when you're on your own. At the club or a rave, that is. A remix of Justin Bieber's "Beauty and a Beat" came on, our go-to karaoke song.
"'Cause all~ I need... is a beauty and a beat... who can make my life complete~"
We mouthed the lyrics to each other like a seranade.
I went back to our corner of the warehouse. Blue lights changed into red. It was Umru's set now. Someone came up to me as I danced and gave me a sticker from his index finger. It was an orange oval sticker labeled "SPICY." I wasn't sure if he was giving them to random people throughout the night, but I accepted it as a flirtatious gesture. I eventually moved closer into the crowd, bodies hot and sweaty and sticky. You can see the humidity cover the room.
Erica finally came back with her Vodka Redbull. "Is this still Nina?"
"No, it's Umru now. The lights are red."
We kept dancing into the night. Side by side, lost in the music. The crowd cheers with their hands up. We cheer too. For the first time I felt euphoric.
I take a bathroom break and come out to a new set. "It's the two of them now," Erica explains. Umru and Ninajirachi were dueling in a DJ battle. An Australian kangaroo fights against what I would assume is a British character on the screen. (Correction: Umru is Estonian-American. I have no idea why I thought he was British.) The most memorable part of their set was a remix of Far East Movement's "Like a G6," another karaoke classic for Erica and I. A drone flies across the crowd, capturing the audience at the peak of the night. Suddenly, everything turned black. The crowd yelped in surprise. Everything from the controllers to the lighting to the VDJ footage stopped working. They broke the set!
Thankfully, the controllers and lighting come back on. Umru and Nina finish their set transitioning to the closer of the night, Certified Jesus Freak. Panic! at the Disco's "Time to Dance" plays from the speakers and I yell out the lyrics with a Midwestern emo passion. With the main acts complete the crowd sizes down, allowing us to come closer to the table. CJF looked like he was locked in as he played the vaporwave classic "Resonance" by HOME. We enjoyed the set and decided to stay for a little longer. It was nearing 2:30 AM. One guy next to Erica offered her his water bottle. She accepted it despite the awkward interaction.
We take our leave and stop by the merch table before exiting. I asked if there were any more of the Umru vs. Ninajirachi tour posters. They give me one of their last prints. It's folded and wrinkled in a couple spots. I ask for a less damaged print and purchase a slightly folded one at a discounted price. "Sorry, they shipped it to us like this." We hurriedly speedwalk to my car to escape the cold. The adrenaline leaves our bodies at once and the exhaustion kicks in. Erica can't tell whether she's tipsy or tired or both. But she was definitely hungry, so she finishes her half-eaten In-N-Out burger. "I saved this for the end of the night."
With the last 5% of my energy, I drive us back to my place. We take off our makeup, get ready for bed, and retire for the night.