I Went to Crush SoCal by Myself on Valentine’s Day

It’s Saturday, February 14, and love is in the air. While many people have V-Day plans for romantic dinners and intimate encounters, I am en route to San Bernardino, alone.

But don’t cry for me, Argentina, because there is nothing lonely about my predicament. I am heading to Crush SoCal to join thousands of other electronic music lovers in a celebration of good sounds, great vibes, and the L in PLUR.

I pull up to the NOS Events Center as the last ray of sunlight disappears behind the San Bernardino Mountains and security stands prepared for Headliners to arrive. Here’s how the night unfolds.

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5:53 pm – Crush entrance

Gates are about to open, and Headliners are lined up en masse, seemingly eager to catch the first sounds of Lost Kings, who are opening the show. It’s selfie nation up in here, especially with all the couples in line making out for their own cameras.

6:02 pm – Crush entrance

I ask a couple how they decided on the idea for their totem, Lover’s Lane. “We actually found the sign at Walmart!” they exclaim. “Essentially, we wanted to bring people in and prevent them from feeling lonely.” Awwww.

6:23 pm – Crush entrance

“People say we lead guys on!” this pair of beauties tells me as they wait in line.

6:25 pm – Crush entrance

As I walk through the growing crowds, a woman offers me a piece of kandi. “Remember the meaning of PLUR,” she tells me. I of course accept her offering, and I ask her and her two friends what they are doing at Crush. “We’re part of an organization that spreads PLUR,” they say. “We want the kids to know that we love them and that we care about each and every one of them. They need to know that they’re loved.” I look down at the kandi bracelet and see the link www.plurway.com spelled out in beads. Later research reveals it is essentially just a video of a guy comparing God’s love to kandi beads and raves. To each their own.

6:38 pm – Near the bathrooms

A Headliner stops me and asks what I’m doing with my camera. “I actually came here alone, looking to do something similar,” he tells me after I explain that I’m covering the show. He sees a group of Headliners walking by. “Hey,” he shouts. “Want to be in a picture with me?” Seconds later, the whole group is introducing themselves, and I’m taking their photo. Bringing people together since 1993, whaddup.

7:19 pm – Step and repeat

There’s a step and repeat at Crush. You read that right, THERE’S A STEP AND REPEAT AT CRUSH. That means that guests are not only Headliners, they are also celebrities! I strike up a conversation with a couple rocking matching Chainsmokers attire and ask them their favorite Chainsmokers song. “’Pumpin Blood,’ the remix!” they shout. “Oh god, it just makes me feel so happy. Wait, check out our capes!”

7:23 pm – In the crowd

Headliners are flooding the dancefloor as Lost Kings drops their hella pleasing remix of “This Side of Paradise.”

7:36 pm – Near the entrance

These two: “Do you like our GoPro totem?! You should have seen the one we made for Escape; we had the camera sitting on top of a pumpkin!”

8:13 pm – Picnic tables

I catch a quick glimpse of my solo friend from the entrance running by, holding hands with a girl and laughing. I give myself a little pat on the back.

8:47 pm – Step and repeat

Things are getting seriously couple-y up in here, and I’m starting to feel seriously single. Next to me, a girl lovingly jumps into her boyfriend’s arms, and they share a kiss. I stop being a grouch for a second and snap their photo. Truth: My heart melts a little.

9:01 pm – Near the water stations

Nearly a dozen Headliners roll up wearing the same Seven Lions shirts and carrying a massive Seven Lions totem. “Do you guys like Seven Lions?” I joke. “Hell yeah, we do!” they respond. “We’ve got our entire crew here to support him. We never miss a show when he’s in town.” “What’s something funny about your crew?” I ask. One of the girls replies, “We don’t let any of the boys in our rooms without their Seven Lions shirts on. If you can’t tell, we don’t mess around!” I lament not having a shirt of my own.

9:12 pm – Step and repeat

Back at the step and repeat: “We’re from Las Vegas, which is kind of funny, because she turns 21 tonight,” says one girl of her friend. “You’d think we’d be partying in Vegas for the big birthday, but we’ve become a bit tired of the scene out there. That’s why we come to all Insomniac events in California—to feel included in the rave community out here! We’ve been to Nocturnal, Beyond, Escape, and of course EDC in our hometown. But we do like to bring a little piece of home with us whenever we come here… Tonight, we’re giving out kandi that say “Sin City” on them! Hey, get a picture of us with our bandanas! That would look really badass.”

9:20 pm – On the dancefloor

Sheesh, things are getting really crazy in here, as Mercer is currently making the walls shake. Out in the crowd, a girl stands on her boyfriend’s shoulders. No, she is not sitting. She is STANDING.

9:23 pm – Backstage

Kennedy Jones is here, joking around with his posse. He slips behind the curtain and into his room before I can compliment him on his set, which was killer.

9:31 pm – In the crowd

Alvaro takes the stage. All of a sudden a song breaks the silence, and I laugh in disbelief. It’s “My Valentine” by country singer Martina McBride! No one is sure whether to laugh, cry, make out, or do all of the above simultaneously. In any case, emotions are running high, and we’re all on a serious trip down memory lane right now.

9:46 pm – Behind the barrier

Channing Totem. Enough said.

10:40 pm – In the crowd

Seven Lions is ripping the crowd to shreds with a fantastically bass-heavy set. As I’m standing in the back, he plays “Worlds Apart,” and I have no choice but to dance. He transitions to Tom Swoon & StadiumX’s “Ghost,” leaving the crowd breathless for more until he finally throws down his original track “December,” which is greeted by roars of approval from thousands of revelers. About 30 feet in front of me, I see the aforementioned Seven Lions totem bouncing up and down, and I can just imagine how epic that crew must be feeling right now.

11:30 pm – Backstage

The Chainsmokers are about to come on, and a slow rumble of anticipation echoes throughout the room. Smoke machines billow mist from behind the DJ booth, and the Chainsmokers appear through the smoke accompanied by a massive plume of confetti (duh). The crowd loses its shit.

11:33 pm – Backstage

Three minutes into the set, and there’s already quite a rager going on behind the booth. Two dozen people are dancing onstage behind the Chainsmokers, cheering and clutching red cups. Mercer and his crew join the stage party as the Chainsmokers drop Otto Knows’ “Can’t Stop Drinking About You.” Minutes later, they go next-level with Zomboy’s remix of “When We Were Young” by Dillon Francis and Sultan & Ned Shepard. I get so down to this one that I nearly drop my camera.

11:41 pm – Behind the barrier

I follow a group of our beloved Ground Control team through the pit as they hand out water to Headliners at the front of the crowd. I grab a couple of bottles and help out, because it feels like the right thing to do, especially on Valentine’s Day.

11:56 pm – Walking through the crowd

A guy next to me in the crowd wears a shirt saying, “I would cuddle you so hard,” and the guy next to him wears one that says, “I would cuddle you so much harder.” When asked how well the shirts have worked so far, they give a wink and a thumbs-up. Good going, guys.

12:07 pm – Step and repeat

BECAUSE IT’S A STEP AND REPEAT, AND IT’S AWESOME.

12:15 pm – Picnic tables

I encounter Dolly the Shark, a very special totem with a very special history. It turns out she belongs to a crew of friends who are all major Kennedy Jones fans, and she’s been to every show with them since EDC, where she was first acquired! “The smile mask we got her at Dada Land, and we’ve been collecting bits and pieces to add on at every event since,” they explain. “Of course, we’ve decked her out with Kennedy Jones stickers, because she’s a big fan just like we are.” Dolly, we look forward to seeing you again at Beyond!

12:32 am – Production area

A large, black SUV rolls up to the backstage entrance. It’s Tommy Trash, who’s just arrived on a private jet from San Francisco, where he performed at Crush SF earlier this evening. There were rumors of his flight being delayed, but nope—not true! He’s swiftly escorted inside.

1:00 am – Backstage

There’s no music playing, but the crowd is roaring anyway. All the lights in the room are shut off at once, and a silhouetted mass of hair pops up from behind the booth, signaling Tommy’s arrival onstage. With a blast of a CO2 cannon and an explosion of confetti, he begins his night-closing set.

1:37 am – Production area

Between bites of pizza, I hear the sounds of Tommy Trash and Steve Aoki’s popular track “Ladi Dadi” playing in the distance. I smile—it’s an old favorite of mine.

2:21 am – Near the entrance

As I’m walking by the dancefloor one last time, I hear Tommy drop an upbeat remix of “Save the World.” I peek inside the doorway and see thousands of Headliners with their hands in the air, singing along: “Turn up the love now, listen up now, turn up the love.” There are many, many couples making out in here. Me, I came alone and I am leaving alone, but the night has nonetheless been a major love fest and a total Valentine’s Day success.