Defiance in the Face of Silence: Cyberfest 2001 and an Unexpected Reunion
- Kēvens
- Oct 8
- 2 min read
The year was 2001. Just days after the Twin Towers fell, the skies went silent, every aircraft grounded, my tour got canceled except for one show. Like in the recent pandemic, the entertainment world was the first to shut down and the last to breathe again. Yet, two days after flights resumed, my team and I boarded a plane bound for Texas, determined to honor a commitment that felt larger than a gig. I was slated to perform at one of the biggest EDM festivals of the time; Cyberfest.
That night was something out of a dystopian film. The police presence was suffocating, sirens, flashing lights, barricades at every turn. The government didn’t want the show to happen. But the ravers refused to be silenced. Hungry for connection, desperate for release, they flooded the highways, found backroads, climbed fences, whatever it took to reach the festival grounds. Their energy burned through the fear and uncertainty. America felt unrecognizable, caught between chaos and defiance. It was the apocalypse, but it pulsed to the beat of freedom.
I was scheduled to perform just before The Crystal Method, and though the night was tense, it became unforgettable, a moment where music stood its ground against despair.
Years later, at the Sphere in Las Vegas, where my performance was featured during the Tomorrowland X Insomniac showcase, I crossed paths with Ken from The Crystal Method. I didn’t recognize him at first, but when I did, the years melted away. We laughed, reminisced, and I invited Pasquale Rotella to join the conversation.
For a few hours, surrounded by flashing lights and vivid memories, it felt like we’d stepped back into time, back to that night when sound became rebellion and hope had a heartbeat.
Positivity is a necessity
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