Life in Color is an electronic music festival that takes place annually in Wynwood. On Jan. 14, Marti Bennett attended the event for the first time.
Splattered with paint in a small vicinity crowded by too many people, Life in Color is an intimate, yet enthusiastic music festival. As the weather cooled to a frigid 50 degrees, South Floridians huddled up in the huge pit of raving dancers for warmth. Despite the chill, Life in Color produced a large community enhanced with rave culture.
Mana Wynwood Convention Center was transformed for the event; food stands and $8 boxed water lined the vicinity. Young adults, dressed in white clothing with hints of glitter and shine, relinquished their responsibilities for the evening and danced. Hesitant to join the movement, I initially stayed at the back of the viewing area until my friends dragged me towards the front of the stage. During this experience, I felt a sense of freedom that I have never felt before. The cold was replaced by heat from my new neighbors, and I lost myself to the music.
EDM became, in my opinion, a sort of escape mechanism that allowed me to exclusively connect with the music and block out everything else.
Though the environment was intriguing, the lineup caused mixed responses. While Blackbear brought energy to the stage, his overbearing use of auto-tune blocked out his voice. Lil Pump and Jaden Smith failed to create an energetic performance, detracting from the festival’s kinetic environment. To the dismay of many fans, supposed headliner 21 Savage did not make an appearance. In that moment, I decided to write a heated email to Life in Color for a much-needed reimbursement. The last performer of the night, Zedd, however, stole the show with his awe-inspiring mixes and endurance. He channeled his inner pop-rock by playing Michael Jackson mixes.
Only one stage filled the convention center, as opposed to the three stages utilized in the past. This led to an intimate festival community, and personal space became a concept of the past. I accidentally found myself inserted into the middle of a “mosh-pit,” and felt the full-extent of my claustrophobia for a moment.
It was not until the paint started splashing that I fell under the spell of Life in Color. Claustrophobia turned into communion and I felt a part of something bigger than myself
