After months of planning, the anticipation felt like an eternity to this years Memorial weekend

It was a release of joy as Dreamstate San Francisco 2017 sat upon us.  For two days, the city by the bay welcomed lovers of trance and others from around the way as we gathered at the historical Bill Graham Auditorium to a journey of musical bliss.

Being with your chosen family in a place that fosters love is one of the greatest part of attending Dreamstate which makes it infinitely better and more than just an event. It has become an adventurous journey inside a great Disneyland attraction ride playing to your senses while taking you away.

Dreamstate SF 2016 presented a few hiccups with a late start; however, staffs and securities were on time this year and headliners were treated to an epic production outdoing the previous year. Love of trance prompted Trance Family LA and Plurrfect Rave Fam to be some of the first few inside of the venue. I was beyond joyful to see my friends that I had made at Dreamstate New York the year before. It is always a pleasure to spend the night dancing with Catherine and her sister Melanie, and the boys Braden, Asher, Reese and Alvin. As well my friend Derrick made the trek from Atlanta for the weekend.

Inside, we migrated to our ‘spot’ which became home for the next two days as Ruben De Ronde greeted us with trance bliss and delivered one of my favorite set of the night. It should have been a sign that this event was going to bring fire. Night one was dominated by the sounds of Menno De Jong and Pure NRG who left no victims as they left the auditorium spell-bound. Both men built a complexity of sound requiring even trance fanatics to really pay attention. Their sets were sensational that was beyond any description other than WOW! Though night one ended fairly quickly, partiers ran off to the official after party at Ruby Sky for more trance from legend Simon Patterson with local house hold Niko Zografos taking us till the early morning hours.

If you have asked me what my expectation would have been going into night two, my reply would simply be “…just another solid night of trance music…”  and I would have been wrong. Night two was historically unbelievable. Having Binary Finary start the night off seemed wrong because these multi decade legends are not usually opening acts; never the less, they brought down the house and set up the bar so high that every single act following had to bring their ‘A’ game and they did as the music just got better and better. A line up of Binary Finary, Fleming & Lawrence, Bryan Kearney, Vini Vici, Astrix, John O’Callaghan, Ferry Corsten and Gareth Emery put on the greatest single night of trance music in Dreamstate history. There were no weak points and to see trance elitists say Gareth Emery shouldn’t be the closer, took back their words and danced their butts off, like Dean Christofferson did that night, was pure magic. Words cannot describe what happened in those walls that night but if you weren’t there then you missed out.

Trance is more than just music. It’s a feeling of satisfaction, healing, love and understanding. It has an ability to transform your reality. I found this quote a few years ago, “I believe in trance the way some people believe in fairy tales”, and after this event, it radiated with more truth than ever. Trance music is my escape. It’s my religion and it has the ability to create a balance between the mind, body, and soul.

Dreamstate San Francisco was just another journey on the path of life.  I cannot wait for EDC and three nights at Quantum Valley.

-Danielle Sanders