L.A. Coliseum Tries to Drag Disneyland into Rave Battle

Some times I read a story that just rubs me wrong and I have to rant. Thank goodness for blogs, right?

The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Commission unanimously voted last Thursday to require prior approval of any electronic music events, or what non-politicians and people whose shirts aren’t stuffed refer to as “raves”,  to be held at the Coliseum or Sports Arena in the first half of 2011.

This is a temporary compromise in a six-month saga about the fate of raves in L.A. County since a 15-year-old girl died in June at the “Electric Daisy Carnival”.  The commission lifted a moratorium on raves in November.

Commissioner Rick Caruso, an L.A. real estate developer, was the most outspoken about reinstating a moratorium having repeatedly said that it’s “morally wrong” to hold events at a public venue that take so much effort to prevent attendees from dying.

“Why are we planning an event knowing that the likelihood of someone getting killed or dying is high?” he said. But Caruso directed his harshest comments at Coliseum general manager Pat Lynch.

Lynch argued that electronic music festivals had become so mainstream that Disneyland was holding a similar festival every night.

WTF?

So let’s clear this up. What he’s refering to is Disney California Adventure’s “ElecTRONica“, which ties in with the forthcoming release of the movie “TRON: Legacy”. It kicks off at 6 p.m. in Sunshine Plaza with a multimedia performance, and then participants will move to the Hollywood Pictures Backlot to get their groove on. “There,” a Disney press release reads, “they will have the sensation of being digitized and transported into the computer mainframe world of ‘TRON: Legacy.”

“ElecTRONica” is similar to a rave party; in fact OC Weekly called the promotion a “PG version of the Electric Daisy Carnival”. But c’mon. Use your head. Okay, yes, there are alcoholic beverages served, and laser shows, and dancing. But ask yourself how long would it take, from the moment you sparked some ganja, for Disney security to grab you and have you arrested? And before you answer let me tell you that presently, the Anaheim Police South Station is housed one level below Downtown Disney.

Someone should test this out for me and e-mail me the results. I won’t bail you out of jail, but I promise to write an article about how long it takes Disneyland to have your dumb ass hauled to the slammer. That’s good blog material, I think.

One time, I was watching a live music performance in Tomorrowland Terrace (this was during broad daylight hours, before they started doing the Star Wars thing), just a little Rock n’ Roll crap band that Disneyland hired to play. Some guy took to the little area for dancing, and began swaying around, looking at his fingers in awe as if he was on acid.

The guy may have been goofing around for all I know, but I don’t think he lasted more than sixty seconds before Disneyland Cops were yanking him out of there, which for this blog entry begs the question of how many fifteen year olds are going to O.D. on drugs at Disneyland? Honestly.

Also, let’s make it clear that DisGeek is not slamming The Electric Daisy Carnival, or any rave. Teens, and young adults, whoever goes to these parties, seek your fun however you want to. You’ll get no argument from me. See, I give you more credit for brains than city officials. But remember, in vices there are prices. That’s all I have to say about it.

We all know that the use of “illicit” drugs, especially Ecstasy, goes hand-in-hand with raves, but do you really expect to compare what goes on at the Electric Daisy Carnival from 3pm to 2am to what happens at Disney’s California Adventure from 6pm to 10pm, and not be called a stupidnik?

Here’s a picture taken at The Electric Daisy Carnival last June:

It’s too bad that the High School Musical 3: Senior Year travelling concert never had this kind of turnout.

Now, here’s one from ElecTRONica:

Clearly, s(beep)t is off the HOOK at DCA! I hear Corbin Bleu is going to be playing, it’s gonna be right up in there!

Want more? Here’s another.

The Electric Daisy Carnival:

Actually, she was the result of Dr. Jumba Jookiba’s “Experiment 625”. I don’t think Lilo would have warmed up to her … but I would have.  <grin>

ElecTRONica:

This picture sucks, but it’s the best looking “ElecTRONica” girl I can find to compare to Stitch’s sis up there. I suppose I could blow them both out of the water with a pic of Olivia Wilde, but that’s cheating. I do have about two dozen more pictures of the ladies from the Electric Daisy Festival … but those are for me.

Can we drag Disney out of the rave argument now? And yes, Disney California Adventure does serve beer, wine and margaritas, something Disneyland doesn’t do, but the limit (I think) is two per person, right? Correct me if I’m wrong, but I do know for certain that there is a limit. The point is you have to be a real lightweight to get drunk from two glasses of any of those drinks, and Disney knows it. Who wants to compare them to a rave now? Seriously?

Rick Caruso apparently agrees. He told Pat Lynch, “It’s ridiculous to loop in Disneyland. That’s baloney, silly stuff. Don’t use Disneyland to justify what you are trying to do here.”

Usually I’d say “nice try”, but it isn’t even that. It’s worse than ridiculous. Pat Lynch must have thought he was talking to a group of high ravers to believe he could use an argument like that effectively.

~Paul J. Hale