The first question is whether this will be the last Electric Zoo Festival, at least in New York. The second question is what this means for a larger, exploding EDM genre.
According to details now emerging, Electric Zoo Festival organizers now have a rape on their hands. Even worse, it appears to have involved an underage attendee: according to details from non-profit NYC Park Advocates, Inc., a 16-year-old female was sexually assaulted and left under a van in the Zoo parking lot.
September 1st, 2013: “What to Do About All the EDM Overdoses…“
The victim was later taken to a hospital, where sexual assault was determined. “The teenager woke up on Friday under a van in a parking lot with her pants undone and bruises and scratches on her legs, according to several city sources,” Geoffrey Park of non-profit blog A Walk In the Park relayed.
“Medical personnel at Cornell Medical Hospital later determined she was sexually assaulted.”
The news follows a pair of deaths at the festival, both blamed on ecstacy (or MDMA, or ‘Molly’) overdoses. That forced the cancellation of the final day, though not before officials made 31 arrests.
EDM is not music. It is noise. Real musicians play instruments.
I’ve seen plenty of people “play” instruments that would be lucky if they had a fraction of the musical aptitude some DJs have.
you must’ve been at the moron convention
Yea, I was. It’s called Earth. If you somehow live in a bubble that only attracts great musicians I’m either very envious of wherever that is, or grateful I have a much higher understanding of what having talent means than you. Because sometimes going to shows in NYC is like going to a 6 year old’s recital.
agreed, NYC is actually as provinicial as it gets
I’m guessing it’s more the latter and you’re one of the people I’m talking about. Can play a pentatonic and think you’re Clapton.
Which brings us to
You have the right to have your own opinion. But saying that your opinion is any better than anyone else’s makes you a complete asshole.
What you just said, is a bunch of relativist B.S.
…and I thought dinosaurs was extinct. How wrong I was!
Sex, Drugs and EDM!
Your so stupid just do us all the favor and stfu.
A 16 year old female is not a woman but a GIRL…please correct this.
OK.
Unfortunately, there are lot of people who think they can’t have fun without drugs and alcohol.
The one thing I can’t get over about this situation, is not that teens are doing drugs or that people want to rave, that’s always been going on in various forms- but that there are people actually complaining about EZoo being cut short due to those two deaths. Life is precious, and if not holding the festival AT ALL would have saved even ONE of those young people from dying- it would have been well worth cancelling. Unfortunately, not too many people feel the same, and are complaining that the festival should not have been “ruined” for everyone else. This generation scares me.
Yes, beacause no teens would have died in three days, or done drugs, had the festival not happened.
Some of you people need to step out of your bubble, christ.
Using that logic there should be no laws outlawing rape, murder and assault since they are going to happen anyway right?
…yea…because organizing a music festival is the same as rape, murder and assualt. Where do you people come from?
You are correct organizing a music festival is not the same as rape murder and assault.
Just a legal question though, no moral judgement here; At what level or point does an event organizer become liable for crimes committed at the events they organize?
I agree that the organizer is not liable for crimes committed by individuals at one event however, you must agree that if at every organized event someone is either raped or murdered then it’s in the public interest that the event organizer becomes liable.
So where is the line of culpability drawn? If there are accidental deaths at every third event? Intentional violent crimes at every other event? When does the organizer become liable?
I would say when the problems arise from an organizer’s DIRECT failures. They have nothing to do with people being stupid. And we all know thousands of other people were on drugs those days and didn’t die or get raped or rape, so it’s not some drug that sends masses of people off the edge. And I’ve done it a few times, as well. It’s not bad for you unless you are horribly misinformed or an idiot. And taking 6 hits at once certainly qualifies for one or both of those.
33,000 motor vehicle deaths per year in the US alone – if, by completely motor vehicles we can save just ONE of these people it will have been worth it.
Hmmm…
I’m sorry you just have a really misguided point here. You are trying to say TAKE MUSIC AWAY because it might have saved a life? What the hell is wrong with you? Do you think if we took violent video games away that there might be one less shooting rampage? Haven’t you ever been to a big multi-day concert before? Or a music festival? Now I’m not making a judgement about right and wrong here, but I don’t think any of the festivals I’ve attended have been death and overdose free. That is not on the festival. They have no control over what people want to do at the show. If people want to act irresponsibly and use it as an excuse to take more drugs than a human body can handle, they are going to pay for it. And, IMHO, that is not on the company who puts on or promotes the show. Most of the time they don’t cancel these things when people die, because they know people are going to die. Its not ok, but its how things work. And if you think for one moment you can “censor” this out of existance, you are just extremely misguided and its sad. You can’t tell teens and irresponsible people to just change. You can’t expect security to pull full body cavity searches and guarantee no drugs. I, for one, think we should have the right to use whatever substances we want as long as we know its our responsibility. This country is getting insane – people think they are supposed to be protected by others? YOU ARE YOUR OWN RESPONSIBILITY!
Why should anyone be surprised about this news?
Young half naked girls+Alcohol+Shit ton of drugs+Dehydration+Shitty music+Careless attitude?
Not trying to compare music scenes here but I go to punk rock shows at least twice a month. Alcohol, weed and little friendly aggression in the mosh pit. Everyone goes home happy. Nobody is hurt, no overdoses, definitely no rape, a fight or two maybe then BAM! What a great night. I spent $10 bucks to get in, not $85 to get high and be naked with a pacifier in my mouth.
If you really love the rave scene then go for it! Its just irritating having to hear news like this. “Overdose at Rave!” Ohhh, Reeeeally??? No way!??
Comparing Electric Zoo to the kind of show you’re talking about is like comparing a warehouse rave to the Warped Tour, gramps
didn’t know the Assad regime did music fests….
A little perspective please..
The last music festival that could tought being death and violence free would probably be woodstock, and even that one I doubt was completely free (ever watch the woodstock movie, you can hear a guy announcing that everone should be aware of “some really bad acid going around ” LOL)
The electric zoo had what? over 100,000 attendies?
just put “deaths” and “music festival” into google and you will quickly be able to find countless concerts and festivals that are worse, with less attendies..
and one of the people who died, it was reported he said “i just took 6 pills”.. REALLY.. I’m so amazingly shocked that idiot survived as long as he did..
Side note: i was just talking to one of the “kids” I work with who has attended a few EDM festivals.. he says people taking multiple hits is pretty common.. they try one.. nothing happens right away so they take more, then some more.. Then an OD happens.. well duh!!
I will say that I think they were understaffed for security and medical.. When I organized security for my local rodeo “cabaret”, we had under 2000 people, but had almost a 1 to 25 ratio of security Vs attendies (and for every 10 security one had advanced first aid..) So in my opinion for that many people, they should have had more security..
but to blame two deaths and one rape on the entire music scene of EDM? thats just stupid..
Didnt one of the lalapalooza concerts have so many rapes and assaults they stopped counting?