#EDC20 || Sean’s Life Changing Experience

EDC Las Vegas has brought some life-altering moments for past attendees. For today’s #EDC20 segment we are telling Sean’s story from EDC Las Vegas 2011!

EDC Las Vegas 2011 was my first true EDM event and although I know that hundreds of people say this, it changed everything about my life. I went with my roommate/best bud/coworker and we drove down to Las Vegas from Sacramento. That journey and the weekend that followed was pure, unforgettable magic. Friday night we got to the venue and had an incredible introduction to the world of Electronic Music. As the sun was rising to our left we were watching Sander Van Doorn play an epic sunrise set to close out the day. We were sitting on the floor, when a bearded man approached us and asked me for a lighter.

This man’s name was Andy and instantly I got a great vibe from him. He introduced me to his roommate, Kyle, who was standing close by, as well as his girlfriend at the time who was dancing like a maniac 5 feet in front of him. As we started talking, we found that we had so many things in common, proceeded to watch the sunrise together, exchanged information, and left to head back to the strip. I assumed that they would never contact me again just because what would an architect and a sound engineer want to do with a bouncer from Sacramento.

In the photo I am in the green Volcom shirt on the right, Kyle is in the pink tie and our groups “TEAM” shirts, because that is what our rave crew is called, simply TEAM, and lastly Andy is to my right and Kyle’s left with a black bandanna and his tongue out shirtless. We still go this hard.

That year, no one really anticipated how many people would actually be using the shuttles, and those two gentlemen couldn’t make it out along with a couple of friends. Already on our way back to the strip on the freeway, we turned around to pick them up and get them back to the strip. Once back at their hotel they told us to come visit them later and wouldn’t take no for an answer. Of course we came back to visit, as they had a corner suite in the cosmopolitan, what seemed like unlimited booze, and also about 25 incredible people with them. That was the day I realized that I would be friends with these people for years.

We spent the next two days together and left our separate ways that Monday. They headed off to LA and we returned up to Sacramento, but we kept in touch. After 3 months of them telling me I should move to LA because I would have more potential there, I graciously accepted Andy and Kyle’s offer to crash on their couch until I found work and a place of my own.

Within the first two weeks of living in Los Angeles, I landed a job at a club called Agency. For those of you who don’t know, it was Pasquale Rotella‘s old office. One of my favorite memories was the chance to protect Pasquale and watch Swedish House Mafia standing right next to them on the decks all on the first night.

Now, 5 years later, I have a beautiful lawyer girlfriend, live 2 blocks from Chateau Marmont, throw events across LA, retired from running doors and am finishing my degree. EDC Las Vegas changed everything about my life. I’ll never miss it.

(In the video below I am the white guy in the tux next to the decks, watch in 720p!).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9pVVs_xKZ8

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Sean Riordan | Tonight We Dance (TWD)