Music
10 reasons Bud Light's Sensation will be 2013's most insane party
by Marcus Laflamme
March 26, 2013
Think fast: What comes to mind when you think of partying? Packed clubs with the world’s top DJs? Red plastic cups full of Bud Light? Dancing your ass off until the sun comes up (and then goes down again)? If you answered any of the above, well, you’re not wrong. But we have a hunch that Bud Light’s Sensation, a massive A-V event that’s taken Europe by storm, will change the way we think about partying. And here’s why you’d be a fool to miss it.
1. The production is unlike anything you’ve seen.
Since its launch in 2000, Sensation has developed into an unstoppable beast: The crowd is pulsating, clad in blinding white clothing, thanks to its strictly (and we mean strictly) enforced dress code. There’s an eye-popping light-and-pyrotechnics show that’d make Justice jealous. It’s littered with gallery-worthy installations. Then, to cap off Sensation’s mixed-media paradise, there’s a rotating roster of house, trance and electro DJs providing a soundtrack to the chaos. More on that later.
2. The atmosphere, in a word: revolutionary.
It’s way more complex than a club night. It’s far more unhinged than a gallery opening. It’s as long as your average music festival. It’s an unparalleled feast for the senses—it’ll be part circus, part rave, all electricity. And we get the feeling that we’ll be talking about it for a long, long time.
3. The dress code: White, white, and more white.
Halloween, St. Paddy’s Day, and ‘80s nights everywhere get one thing right: They understand that dress codes and partying go hand in hand. Why? Because a common uniform—whether everyone’s decked out in green, St. Paddy’s style, or in white, Bud Light’s Sensation style—signals that everyone has a common goal: Partying. But this’ll be a classy affair, so please, leave the faux fur at home.
4. Who are the DJs? A better question: Why do we care?
Vet house-music fans know it: The best parties didn’t used to be about celebrity DJs. They were about finding warehouse spaces, dancing ‘til sunrise, and listening to cutting-edge music. And like those legendary raves, Bud Light’s Sensation keeps their DJs secret (and largely silent) until closer to the event on purpose. Sensation’s DJs have one goal: To make you dance your face off. So keep an eye out for when Bud Light (and maybe AUX?) releases the lineup.
5. The mysterious Mr. White.
At the centre of Sensation is one mysterious figure: Mr. White. Like the rest of the revelers, he’s decked out in—you guessed it—white. Sure, he rocks a creepy Sean-Patrick-Flannery-in-Powder aura. And no one knows his real identity (well, we do, but if we told you, we’d have to kill you). But here’s what we will tell you—his unique brand of tech house is bonkers. Don’t believe us, though: Hear it for yourself.
6. It’s EDM. Not dubstep.
As good as dubstep can be, we’ll be frank: the genre has sullied the good name of EDM. Because no, electronic music doesn’t have to sound like robots copulating. Or a compilation of laser effects and over-dramatic bass drops. Or like Skrillex, Borgore, or Rusko. No, Bud Light’s Sensation is built on time-honoured stuff—electro, house, and trance. The best part? You won’t have to travel to Ibiza to hear it—it’s coming to the Rogers Centre in Toronto.
7. Sensation was Europe’s not-so-little secret.
Yes, it’s landing on Canadian soil for the first time, but Sensation’s already one of Europe’s biggest parties: It brought 35,000 swarming revelers to Barcelona. Ibiza. St. Petersburg. Dusseldorf. Antwerp. And… we could go on. And while we maintained that DJs aren’t the focus, Laid Back Luke, Armin Van Buuren, and Felix Da Housecat have all manned Sensation’s boards. Sensation’s mindblowing A-V spectacle’s no secret to our European pals—and soon, it’ll be blowing minds here, too.
8. Canada. Is. Ready.
Talk to a tourist, and they’ll tell you our musical diets consist of Heart, Rush, and Stompin’ Tom. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Last year, Swedish House Mafia’s Until Now hit the top 10. Deadmau5—who was rumoured to have made $11.5 million in 2012, and who’s spoken in the same breath as Tiesto, David Guetta, and Steve Aoki—is one of ours. A-Trak, who spearheaded the mid-2000s electro resurgence along with fellow Canucks MSTRKRFT, hails from Montreal. So, as music goes, we’re not addicted to guitars—we love EDM as much (if not more) than our European brethren. We’re just long overdue for a massive party like Bud Light’s Sensation where we can prove our strength in numbers.
9. The party goes on. And on. And on…
Clubs—even your favourite ones—get old: You can’t stay there for more than three hours. Go to a concert, and the performance usually last two hours. Heck, the highlights of most large-scale music festivals can be condensed into four or five hours of goodness. Not so for Bud Light’s Sensation. The party starts when the doors open at 6 p.m. at the Rogers Centre, and it goes off for eight straight hours. But whatever you do, don’t show up too late; the “grand opening” is at 8 p.m. and you don’t want to miss this moment. Trust us.
10. It’s worth the price of admission.
Cirque du Soleil tickets fly for $150 apiece. Scalped Skrillex tickets can cost as much as your next rent cheque. Quality entertainment ain’t cheap, and accordingly, Bud Light Sensation tickets aren’t priced for the bargain bin. But you get what you pay for, and in Bud Light’s Sensation’s case, you’re promised eight hours of sheer audio-visual ridiculousness. Plus, 30,000 likeminded people will be there—so you should be too.
Get your tickets before they’re gone via Ticketmaster.
Over the next few months, AUX is partnering with Bud Light as they revolutionize what it means to party in Canada. We’ll be breaking down the elements of any successful party into an exact science, culminating in the most mathematically perfect party of the year, Bud Light Presents Sensation (seriously, the Partyodic Table doesn’t lie) at Toronto’s Rogers Centre on June 1. The eight-hour experience will see an estimated 30,000 fans Light It Up in ways they’ve never done before. Tickets are available now! You must be 19 years or older to attend. Meet fellow revelers on Twitter via the Bud Light Presents Sensation hashtag: #budlightsensation.
Tags: Music, News, Bud Light Presents Sensation
