Writer: Taylor Dickason
Photo Credit: Modified PhotoGraphics
The Venue
Decadence, CO is hosted in the Colorado Convention center in the heart of Denver, CO. The convention center had major warehouse vibes, which gave the festival a very unique feeling. Going into the weekend, I was worried about what to wear, nervous that it would be either too cold or too hot inside the venue. To my surprise, it was the perfect temperature indoors. I never overheated like I tend to at indoor shows, and I also did not get too cold when the crowd spread out in between sets. There was also plenty of room to dance no matter where you were. I was in a group of about thirty people and not once was there a lack of dancing room. Event organizers
also did a great job of creating the perfect ambiance within the venue. There were two stages, and to get between the two you had to walk through a corridor that was lit up with bright flower lights as well as giant hanging things that looked like intricately designed Chinese lanterns. The venue was perfect for a NYE festival.
The Experience
Decadence was full of some of the best vibes that I have ever experience at a festival. I was nervous about it being a NYE festival and people coming just for the party, but to my surprise that was not the case. Everyone there was extremely friendly and more than willing to help people in need. There also was not a lot of pushing and shoving in the crowds, most likely because there was so much space and there was a good view of the stages even from the back. To this day, Decadence has been my favorite festival that I have attended and I will definitely be returning in the future!
The Music
Day one of Decadence was full of new artists for me, including Nora en Pure, 1788-L, and Above and Beyond. I also finally got to experience an Eric Prydz set. I ended 2018 not being a huge techno fan, and started 2019 wanting more techno in my life all thanks to Eric Prydz. Prydz live mixes all of his sets, which means that each of his sets are different from one another. He has amazing transitions between upbeat, “dancy” techno to very dark techno, accompanied by amazing visuals which take you on a journey from start to finish. After finishing my adventure with Prydz, I had Skrillex to look forward to. When he dropped “Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites,” nostalgia rushed over me and brought me back to my early days of listening to it on repeat. Moving on to day two, I had the pleasure of seeing my favorite artist, Illenium. As per usual, his set brought out all of the feels and took the crowd on an emotional journey. His transitions between soft,
vibes music to heavy dubstep drops kept the crowd engaged and guessing the entire time. I did not see a single person who was not having an amazing time. The good vibes and energy carried on into the night as group decided to check out the silent disco. This was my first silent disco experience and it was definitely unique. There were three different channels with different genres of music to choose from. It was really cool to look around and see who else was dancing to the same thing. For anyone who hasn’t checked out a silent disco, I definitely recommend it! After leaving the silent disco, we rang in the new year with 3lau. This was my third time seeing 3lau and once again, he did not disappoint. His set was very upbeat and perfect for beginning 2019. After 3lau came a huge change in genres. We saw Midnight Tyrannsaurus followed by Svdden Death B2B Must Die! and both sets were incredibly filthy. I can confidently say that everyone around me broke their necks and were sore for days. All in all, Decadence had a great mix of artists that equally covered each genre, so there was something for everyone!
