36 Hours at Escape: All Hallows’ Eve

Reporting by Rich Thomas, Rob Simas, John Ochoa, Sam Yu, Anum Khan and Katie Bain

Tens of thousands of Headliners turned out to the NOS Events Center in San Bernardino this past Friday and Saturday for our annual Halloween fiesta, Escape: All Hallows’ Eve. With sets from artists including The Magician, Steve Aoki, Moby, Schoolboy Q and the entire crew on Richie Hawtin’s ENTER. stage, the music was on point from start to finish. The costumes were inspired, and the fright factor inside the haunted mazes was high. There was a crisp, fall chill in the air, and even some late-night November rain. Insomniac’s editorial team roved the festival to take it all in and to chat with the crowd. This is what we experienced during our 36 hours at Escape.

Friday, October 31

3:10 pm – Front entrance

Alexus (left), Kathy (middle) and Jordan (Kathy’s husband) live in Lubbock, Texas. They all took Halloween off work, but then couldn’t find anything worthwhile to do. So they went on Insomniac.com, found out about Escape, bought their tickets, and booked their flights. Jordan is “here because I’m married,” which is cool. Kathy is the ringleader of the group, and she is also an RN, which is cool and creepy at the same time. They’ve got a crew of 20 that will hit EDC Vegas 2015. That’s the coolest.

3:52 pm – Front entrance

We asked Natalie, Armando and Bruce what they do during the day. They said, “We sleep.” That’s because they’re from Vegas and all work in the nightlife industry. It’ll be Armando’s birthday at midnight tonight—he’s the pink and purple unicorn with the tutu, in case you were wondering—so he’s going to celebrate as any regular 27-year-old would: “I just want to be at the Bassrush stage all fucking night.” What about Amanda? “I’m along for the ride.” Aren’t we all.

4:15 pm – Graveyard

Good news: We found Pasquale, Holly and Rainbow. Bad news: They’re zombies.

5:15 pm – Slaughterhouse

This is Zane from San Diego. He spent about two minutes putting his costume together, which consists of a cape and a bandanna mask. All he did was stand menacingly still at the Slaughterhouse entrance while people took pictures of him. That’s Mercer dropping Blur’s “Song 2” in the background while the crowd sings along, just like they have since 1997 when the song came out.

5:40 pm – The Chopping Block

Hands-down, the award for funniest costume of the night goes to 19-year-old Roberto Ceja from Palos Verdes Estates. As soon as we caught him at the Tropkillaz set, we knew we had to talk to him. Ceja got the idea for the costume after watching the shower scene from the original Karate Kid. “I needed a costume, I heard it was going to rain, and I wanted to take a shower while it rained,” he explains. Simple.

6:00 pm – Slaughterhouse

That may be a fake lion onstage, but these are real horses. Meet San Bernardino’s Mounted Police. Their horses train with loud music, so the equines are not phased one bit by the decibels emanating from Deorro. Officer Harvey tells us they once had to ride into the middle of a crowd at a hip-hop show to break up a fight. Dance music fans? “They’re great. It’s the hip-hop shows that are a pain in the ass.” Ravers 1, Hip-Hoppers 0.

6:14 pm – The Looking Glass haunted house

Just chilling by an exit with a chainsaw, as one does. For 10 minutes, we watched this clown scare the crap out of people as they exited the haunt. It never got old. Ever. We ask him what the measuring stick is for a successful scare. “Whenever anyone shits themselves,” he says immediately. He’s not kidding.

We also meet Jaxy outside of the Looking Glass maze while he’s busy catching weirdos running amok at Escape. But what happens when the weirdos are caught? “Well, I don’t wanna say that we eat them,” says Jaxy, “but we usually eat them.” A native Angeleno, he dropped out of Freak University due to academic politics (he doesn’t want to talk about it at length) as a failed Super Freak major. “Then I ate my instructor,” he admits. “Cannibalism 101, we found, I ended up doing really well. I didn’t have to study. It’s just eating.”

6:27 pm – Ghouls’ Graveyard

We’ve seen a lot of kandi in our days, but nothing quite like this. Going by the name Towr, this designer put his own 3D spin on the peyote kandi stitch to make these one-of-a-kind pieces. “Just how we go to work every day or practice religion, we should practice being overly nice to each other,” he says. “I feel like [making kandi is] me keeping the culture alive.” We run into him again on Saturday at the Cannibals’ Tea Party stage during Richie Hawtin’s set. Upon seeing us, he immediately smiles and envelopes us in a kandi-laden hug.

6:45 pm – Fluff Ice truck

Amanda (left) and Melanie have been in the SoCal rave scene since the late ’90s and are no strangers to Insomniac events. Today they’re working at the Fluff Ice truck. They also happen to be dressed the exact same way as the VIP cabana waitresses, which made for a sticky situation when they got off Fluff Ice detail later in the night and wanted to spend some time relaxing in said VIP cabanas.

7:01 pm – Slaughterhouse, in the crowd
It’s been a while since the last time we heard the Bloody Beetroots drop “Spank.” Even though it’s not a live performance, the crowd is still losing their minds. We don’t know what’s scarier: Sir Bob Cornelius Rifo’s energy onstage, or the menacing facial expression of the clown attached to the stage. Also, this is the first time we see the Slaughterhouse in full gear at nighttime. Our jaws drop when we saw the massive clown face stage, the giant, holographic lion in the cage, and laser beams all throughout the tent. It’s a whole different experience once the sun sets and the true freaks come out at night.

7:10 pm – Slaughterhouse, backstage
Daniel Herrera has seen Benny Benassi live over 30 times—only this time, it’s up close and personal. After finding out he won a meet-and-greet with his childhood idol, Herrera says, “I was dancing around my house for around half an hour, shaking.” At the spur of the moment, he asks Benassi to sign his gold iPhone 6 Plus. The DJ takes great care to make sure it’s done perfectly, even pretending to blow nonexistent dust off the phone when he finishes. Nothing less for a super fan.

7:12 pm – Cannibals’ Tea Party
Timing is everything. If we’d gone to grab a bite to eat instead of hitting up the ENTER. stage, then we would have missed one of our favorite MK tracks. Good thing we didn’t, because we walked in right when he was making his transition into “Powerless.” It was glorious.

7:54 pm – Alice’s House of Horror

Just because they’re undead doesn’t mean they can’t trade kandi or take selfies with you.

8:10 pm – The artist area behind Slaughterhouse
A sleek 2014 Range Rover sits idling while Tiësto prepares for his set inside his nearby trailer. The DJ has just arrived at the venue after a long commute from Los Angeles (he tweeted this during the ride), and after he plays, he’ll take off immediately for a set at Hakkasan in Las Vegas.

8:37 pm – Near Ghouls’ Graveyard

Nester and Kim stand around Ghouls’ Graveyard, taking in the trance from a distance. It’s their first Escape experience, and they are as happy as can be. We can sense a special spark between them, only to find out it’s their nine-year anniversary (or “Halloweeniversary,” as they like to call it). A couple that raves together…

8:44 pm – Bayou Voodoo Mansion

A horde of people has formed—not around Pasquale or Holly, but around Lady Casa. One look at her Instagram page, and you’ll know why she’s a bit of an enigma in the rave scene. She takes her time carefully trading kandi and speaking with each person who has come to see her. When it’s our turn, she gives us a piece of kandi that says “Namaste.” She explains: “It means I recognize the divine love and light within you.” Deepest kandi trade ever.

8:53 pm – Tiësto at Slaughterhouse

As we walk through the massive crowd at the Slaughterhouse, Tiësto slays the stage. We’re just on our way out when he drops his remix of John Legend’s “All of Me.” We look around, and literally everyone under the tent is crying or making out. Or both.

9:11 pm – Bayou Voodoo Mansion

Sometimes we stumble upon the most interesting things when least expected. It’s fate, if you will. Olivia came into our lives while she was getting her Tarot cards read. As a recruiter for a tech company, she was told she has the power to manifest every tool she needs because of the people she chooses to surround herself with. We are feeling hopeful af, too, since we are dancing around thousands of beautiful headliners.

9:30 pm – Nearish the Slaughterhouse
As we ride a golf cart through the crowd with Paul van Dyk, a group of Headliners swarms us, making it hard for the driver (who, it should be noted, is wearing a onesie) to keep cruising. “PVD!” a young man yells directly in the face of the DJ, “I’ve been waiting my whole life for this moment!” He then takes a selfie with the German icon, who smiles accommodatingly.

10:02 pm – Zomboy meet-and-greet, backstage at the Chopping Block

Daniella Flores, an audiology and speech pathology student from Los Angeles, was the lucky winner of a special meet-and-greet with basshead Zomboy, presented by tactile audio technology company SubPac. In addition to winning tickets to Escape, Daniella had to chance to meet Zomboy face-to-face and listen to some of his unreleased tracks on a custom, limited-edition Zomboy SubPac S1 bass system, which she took home as the ultimate collector’s item. “Basically, you’re wearing a party,” she says about the SubPac. “It’s a little backpack that you wear, and it brings all of the bass, all of the feeling of being in the music right there with you. It’s so nuts.”

“If you’re a producer or a music listener, they’re basically the shiiiiiiiitttttt,” says Zomboy about his SubPac system.

“It gives you the chance to listen to music at a really low level, save your ears, but have a load of bass,” says fellow bass producer Skism. “That’s the game changer part. You can listen super quietly and still feel like you’re in a club.”

10:13 pm – Backstage at the Chopping Block
A 12th Planet, a priest, and a nun walk into a backstage area. No punch line here. This is the scene backstage at The Chopping Block as Getter, dressed as a priest, greets his homeboy 12th Planet as he gets offstage. Minutes later, Datsik, dressed as a ninja, and Yellowclaw are seen hanging with a ton of other artists. It’s bass central, and after spending 20 minutes in this bass dungeon, we realize that the camaraderie in the bass scene is unlike anything else. Everyone is so friendly and happy to hang out with their fellow bassheads. We haven’t seen this much bro-ing down in any electronic music community. OK, maybe trance.

10:36 pm – Ghouls’ Graveyard
A light rain has started to fall, which means people are seeking shelter under any covered surface they can. That means everyone who has wandered into Ghouls’ Graveyard is having their faces melted by Astrix. They are not ready for this.

11:07 pm – Cannibals’ Tea Party
We can feel rain droplets as we’re strolling by the exit to Cannibals’ Tea Party. A group of three boys exit, smiling and singing at the top of their lungs, “It’s raining, it’s pouring, a black sky is falling, it’s cold tonight.” Whether it’s the weather or a broken heart, Above & Beyond makes everything better.

11:47 pm – Between Ghouls’ Graveyard and Slaughterhouse
To our right is Paul van Dyk. To our left is Moby. No, this is not the year 2000, but it sounds just as good.

12:34 am – Ghouls’ Graveyard

Even though his set has gone over the scheduled time, Paul van Dyk makes room for one more track, ending with 2009’s “Home.” Upon hearing the song, an anonymous Santa begins belting out the lyrics, even offering us a spontaneous shoulder ride (we politely decline). As he’s singing, Santa turns around and hears a fellow raver doing the same. They both give a knowing look to each other and, without exchanging a single word, make it clear that the song means a great deal to both of them. “It brought back a lot of old memories,” Santa later explains. “Honestly, that’s what’s most important.” We concur.

1:15 am – Cannibals’ Tea Party
At the ENTER. stage, Richie Hawtin is casting a spell on the crowd with a signature set accompanied by hypnotic visuals that look equally like an alien embryo and the Eye of Sauron. We are really feeling this shit.

This is when we meet Team Richie Hawtin. Sick shirts, bros.

1:30 am – Ghouls’ Graveyard

Okay, this couple wins. Blacklight makeup with blacklight LEDs in their hats and a killer blacklight and LED dragon head totem. It’s like two circus clowns had a beach day on Mars.

Saturday, November 1

4:03 pm – Outside Cannibals’ Tea Party
We feel the first raindrops of the night as the sun shines brightly above us. It’s a weird and beautiful scene.

4:03 (and 47 seconds) pm – Outside Cannibals’ Tea Party
False alarm: No rain.

5:05 pm – Near the One-Eyed Monster

Devaunte Knight holds up his #FSUTF sign proudly as he awaits some friends and takes a break a few feet away from the Bayou Voodoo Mansion. He explains the meaning behind #FSUTF: Fuck Shit Up Trance Family. Though he admits that the message does not quite align with the principles of PLUR, he adds that #FSUTF takes various meanings, including Friendship Strength Unity Trust Family and Faith Shapes Us Together Forever. That’s more PLUR.

6:02 pm – Ferris wheel

This group is what raving is all about. They’re an eclectic bunch—from Arizona and different parts of California—who became friends through going to shows. Some people met at EDC 2012; some met through an EDC Facebook page. And this isn’t even the whole crew. The group has three meet-up times planned so they can see the other 20 people they know attending.

6:47 pm – The Graveyard

What’s more rare than spotting a unicorn? Finding one who is traveling around on horseback. We find Harrah (unicorn) and her boyfriend (horse) as they chill in the Graveyard, waiting for their friends to regroup. They tell us how special the NOS Events Center is for them, because it’s the very place they met two years ago while at Beyond Wonderland. Swoon.

7:37 pm – The Magician at the Chopping Block

The Magician hits us with those laser beams as soon as we set foot into The Chopping Block. He’s deep into MK’s remix of “My Head Is a Jungle” from Wankelmut & Emma Louise, when he begins to tease his own remix of Clean Bandit’s “Rather Be,” and the crowd goes nuts. Later, a breakdance circle forms in the middle of the dancefloor as he drops Shift K3Y’s “I Know.” We also hear the ubiquitous Waze & Odyssey remix of R. Kelly’s “Bump & Grind,” and it’s game over after that. The Magician undoubtedly takes home the award for Best Set at Escape.

In case you missed it, the Magician recently released an exclusive Escape: All Hallows’ Eve mix. When you’re done with that, check out MK’s corresponding set from this special-edition series.

7:55 pm – Backstage at Ghouls’ Graveyard
“Who wants to hold my sword?” Tommy Trash (who is currently dressed as Zorro) asks meet-and-greet winner Chandler and his friend Ricky. On second thought: “That came out wrong,” says the Aussie. Chandler worked diligently for this moment, racking up 600 out of the total 6,000 entries for the meet-and-greet contest. Before the winner was announced, he had a dream that he won. As it turns out, this one came true.

8:10 pm – Slaughterhouse
Insomniac’s costumed performers are out in full force during John Digweed’s set, hissing and making faces at a crowd of thousands. There’s one exception, however: While Headliners are going crazy moving to heavy-hitting techno, Evil Alice stands perfectly still with a stoic expression on her face. Sometimes, it’s the quiet ones you have to watch out for.

8:32 pm – Duke Dumont at the Chopping Block

Duke Dumont is slammed from the front to the back, and we are not the least bit surprised. He’s only a few tracks deep, and he is already dropping “Won’t Look Back.” We thought he would be holding onto this one until much later, but we’re not ones to complain. Besides, this is one of our favorite tracks of the year, so you already know we’re living it up like no other.

9:20 pm – Keys N Krates artist trailer, backstage at the Chopping Block

We’re hanging with Keys N Krates in their artist trailer minutes before their set. They’re going over their set list for the night, which includes songs off their new Every Nite EP, as their tour manager pops in to talk about their gear and set time changeovers. As the only band booked at Escape, it’s a scenario rarely seen in electronic music—one that we deeply explored in a feature with Keys N Krates. Their set is killer, but the energy in the room prepping for their show was just as exciting to experience.

9:22 pm – Outside Ghouls’ Graveyard

They’re not skeletons; they’re not witches. They’re skelewitches. And you’d better look out, because they’re on stilts.

9:58 pm – Cannibals’ Tea Party

The man of the hour, Richie Hawtin, is showing us why he deserves to play both nights at Escape. On this night, though, a surprise guest accompanies Richie—a performer who is not onstage. It’s a Headliner in the crowd, Kevin from Peru, who is adding to the rhythm with a conga drum he brought to the festival. People take turns dancing and adding their own layer of percussion like it’s a legitimate drum circle. Participation is always welcomed.

10:15 pm – Production catering
A costumed performer with a killer body is in line for dinner (which tonight is pulled pork sandwiches and veggie chili). She’s wearing high-heeled pleather boots, fishnets, tight red booty shorts, a revealing top, and not much else. On her head, she’s sporting a mask that looks like the face of a deranged, very ugly infant. We’re not sure whether to feel attracted or totally freaked out by her. Maybe we’re a little bit of both. Maybe that’s the point.

10:20 pm – Bayou Voodoo Mansion

If you didn’t come across the hidden room inside the Bayou Voodoo Mansion, you missed out. It’s filled with crooked picture frames, portraits of old people, trinkets, dusty books, magic potions and spices hanging from the ceiling (to ward off evil spirits, of course). Inside, we find enchanting Wiccan witches blowing incense in front of a cross and playing with a Ouija board. One of them joins us on the couch and proceeds to read our palm. Her conclusion? You’ll have a long and prosperous life filled with many lovers.

10:41 pm – Cactaferrum

We see more Waldo costumes than we have fingers and toes. But Donny and Ashleigh are the only Mr. and Mrs. Waldo couple anywhere in sight. They’re hanging together by the art installation because the fire is doing a great job of keeping them warm between sets. It’s also pretty damn cool to look at, in our opinion.

11:26 pm – Ghouls’ Graveyard
Super You&Me would not be possible without our man Laidback Luke’s super DJ powers. We’re still not quite sure how he does it, but LL replicates the main melody of the White Stripes’ song “Seven Nation Army” by fading in and out of a different dance track. It’s totally awesome, and a good indication that he is actually putting in work behind those knobs.

11:55 pm – Schoolboy Q, the Chopping Block
We have quite the surreal moment as we walk over to catch Schoolboy Q at the Chopping Block with living legend Richie Hawtin. Seeing Richie bob his head as Q dominates the stage is an experience we never thought we’d witness. Pretty cool to see such a storied icon like Richie watch a new-school cat like Q perform. Mind = blown.

This is where we realize how much we miss Audiotistic. It’s not everyday we get to enjoy hip-hop and dance music on the same lineup (excluding trap, of course). Schoolboy Q drew one of the largest crowds of the weekend. And before he wraps up his performance with “Man of the Year,” he sends out a thanks to all of his fans. Thank you, too, Schoolboy.

12:10 am – Slaughterhouse, backstage

The time has come. Armin van Buuren responded to Matt Estrada’s tweet asking him to play Escape: All Hallows’ Eve, and now Estrada is getting the chance to meet the DJ before his closing Slaughterhouse set. It took two tries and two weeks for Estrada to make the perler necklace he now gifts Armin with (only after showing him the official kandi trade motions, of course). The necklace pendant has Armin’s face in red and black, an omen to his A State of Trance #666 radio show episode where he played exclusively dark, deep trance. An hour later, Armin not only throws down some 666 trance, but also gives a shout-out to Estrada. As throngs of people are dancing in unison, he reminds everyone that this all became possible with a simple tweet.

12:50 am – Behind the ENTER. stage
Richie Hawtin and his perfect haircut mix and mingle with the very trendy, very beautiful crowd congregated in the outdoor hangout area behind the Hawtin-helmed ENTER. stage. There’s a party happening in Loco Dice’s trailer. (We know this because for a few seconds, the door opens and someone sticks their hands out to open a bottle of champagne over the concrete. We glimpse revelry. We hear laughter. The door closes once more.) The vibe here is sophisticated and trendy, more Saint Tropez than San Bernardino. Most everyone is wearing black.

1:02 am – Slaughterhouse
We enter the VIP Deck just as Armin van Buuren begins to drop the classic Faithless track “Insomnia.” (Coincidence? We think not.) Blasts of CO2 are shot into the air, and the crowd loses it for a moment. Extra points go out to those who spotted Mama Irene dancing onstage during Armin’s set. Yes, she knows how to get down.

1:15 am – Ghouls’ Graveyard

We’re rocking out during Steve Aoki’s set when a security guard taps one of us on the shoulder. “This is my favorite DJ from the entire weekend,” he yells over the music. Judging by the size of the crowd, we think a ton of people at this stage could relate. He dances back toward his post before we can get a few words in.

Steve Aoki is the last set we catch at Ghouls’ Graveyard. Hanging in his artist trailer prior to his set, he jokes that the stage will be empty, as the entire festival will be watching Armin van Buuren over at Slaughterhouse. Not true—Ghouls’ Graveyard is overflowing when Steve hits the stage. He drops “Wonderwall” from Oasis with a very special dedication: “This goes out to my brother DJ AM. Rest in peace.” When Aoki steps offstage after the set, he’s shirtless, sweaty and smiling. A line of people stand waiting to greet him, and he says hello to most everyone, maintaining the grin the entire time.

3:11 am – Our hotel parking lot
As the entire Insomniac editorial team regroups in the parking lot of our hotel, a majestic white owl floats over our heads. The owl is symbolic to Insomniac. It’s our logo and reflects our “Wide Awake” Night Owl mantra. Did that really happen, or are we dreaming? As the owl floats away into the sky, we bid farewell to each other, to Escape, and to the night.