If you had the privilege of joining 20,000 dreamers at The Gorge from around the world, you are truly one of the luckiest people on Earth. This was one of the most incredible shows we’ve ever witnessed. From the diversity of the acts, the infectious positivity of the crowd, to the seamless integration of lights and sounds, everything went 0ff without a hitch!
Were you able to see this totem? America collectively laughed when Trump looked at the solar eclipse in August without protective eyewear, so everyone collectively laughed when they saw this totem staring the sun at The Gorge.
If you want to relive the experience, or if you were not able to join us, Above & Beyond have posted their stream in full on their YouTube channel.
ABGT250 Live Stream
What was not streamed, though, were the crazy afterparties on Sunday night. Members of RMR’s dance music team, Rob and Nic, each found their own place to continue the party. We were both able to find a taste of these experiences through the magic of the internet.
Rob checked out the Anjuna Kitchen and shared his experience below.
As I walked the heroic path out of the Gorge Amphitheatre and back towards general admission camping after just watching Yotto and Luttrell close out ABGT 250’s final amazing set, I began searching for whatever after hour fun was destined to find me. At the pivot, the food and shower area that connects to the GA camping section, I began talking to a Gorge worker, and righteously so, he tipped me off to an after-party that would be happening shortly. When I asked him where they would be playing, he pointed out one of the food trucks which was being outfitted into a DJ booth, or, the ‘Anjuna Kitchen.’ I thanked him for the tip and decided that I would have to find out what all the fuss was about.
About an hour later, after going back to my campsite and gathering the rest of my friends, we made our way back to the pivot. Showing up there, I really didn’t expect anything too significant. So when me and my friends caught sight of a surprisingly large crowd gathered around a certain food truck which was outfitted stylishly with neon blue lights and a prodigious laser setup, we all got a little giddy inside. Sure enough, there in the truck was Gareth Jones and Duncan Byrne, Anjunabeats record label managers, performing a B2B set! I had a feeling I had found what I was looking for.
As the after-party took its course, the crowd around the ‘Anjuna Kitchen’ continued growing in size, attracted by an impressive line of trance and house artists including Richard Bedford, Zoe Johnston, Dom Donnelly, Yotto and Luttrell, Spencer Brown and finishing with Jody Wisternoff himself. What also should not be left out was the incredible gathering of flow artists, an impressive spectacle of talent, variety and interesting collaboration that grew with the crowd and tempo of the music. Surrounded by a wall of entranced spectators, I watched a group of about six or seven whips and hoops, several wands, a staff, a few poi, and some glover’s work their magic together.
What most caught my eye was when, at the climax of my night, I witnessed a collaboration between two girls hooping, another girl holding a glow whip and a guy gloving at the front. I walked up and sat in front of them, and watched as they formed a line, somehow blending together to create the perfect spectacle of light for me and a few lucky friends who sat watching. That really stuck to me. It was one of those moments that words can’t really describe, you just had to be there. By the end of the night I felt as if there was a consensus in the air that everyone around me had left to their campsites feeling fulfilled and utterly at awe of what we had seen.
Nic, on the other hand, was at his camp in GA with friends.
I left at 11 to scout out the rest of the area. Not even twenty feet into this journey, a random person came up and gave me a hug, and said, “Follow me if you want to see a secret show!” I thought he was kidding, but what did I have to lose? He introduced himself as Ethan and said that he convinced an Anjunabeats artist from that day of performances to do a secret set before his flight left later in the morning.
We made it to a campsite that had maybe 25 or 30 people grooving to the sounds of some heavenly minimal house and techno. Blue LED streamers illuminated the tribe, and on the decks was Ariaan Olieroock of 16 Bit Lolitas! Everyone was in sheer bliss, and his style was flawless. What an intimate setting to see such a classic artist.
After it was over, I shook his hand and thanked him for his performances at ABGT, and thanked him for his opening set for Above & Beyond on the We Are All We Need tour in 2015. I’ve been dreaming of seeing another set from this duo since that show!
I had to ask Ethan how he did it, and all he told me was, “It’s Anjuna magic. It’s Anjuna magic! We spent an hour trying to convince him to come out here and play for everyone, and after a while, he finally decided it was what he wanted to do.”
Thankfully I caught some of his set on Facebook Live so you can see it for yourself:
https://www.facebook.com/wiggidywiggidywhack/videos/vb.1211751220/10209704452067354/?type=2&theater
Above & Beyond also announced their next studio album, Common Ground, which will drop early next year, will be followed by a tour. LA and New York have already been announced on the album’s website, along with a ton more information.
