New Rules For Raves

The commission that oversees the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum recently put some significant limitations on rave events that could signal an end to the fests at the publicly owned stadium.

Under the new rules, promoters are required to limit raves and electronic festivals to adults and include a team of trained emergency room doctors on site during such events.

Commissioners also voted to continue a ban on future rave concerts at the Coliseum and the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena.

The moratorium follows problems at the Electric Daisy Carnival at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum June 25-26, where one teen died of a suspected drug overdose, numerous concertgoers suffered injuries and more than 100 were arrested.

In light of the commission ruling, Electric Daisy promoter Insomniac Events released a statement that it had also instituted an adults-only policy for its events and hired a consulting firm to review its safety and operating procedures.

“We are confident that Investigative Advisory Group will provide the right additions to our existing procedures, and help us to continue to raise the bar for music events,” Insomniac CEO Pasquale Rotella said. “Though dance music is enjoyed by people of all ages, we are introducing an 18 and older policy at our events as we await Investigative Advisory Group’s recommendations.”

Even with the ban in place, three previously scheduled rave festivals at the venues may go on this year because of contractual agreements.

The Aug. 21 Love Festival is still on the books at the Los Angeles Sports Arena. County supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky would reportedly rather see the event put on hold but said that if it must go on, at least the new conditions could be tested and serve as a “guidepost for how we’re going to proceed forward next year and beyond.”

Meanwhile, a scheduled rave at the Regency Center in San Francisco was recently canceled over safety concerns in light of two deaths at the Cow Palace during the Dream festival in May.

Imagine 2000 promoter Jason Sperling of Skills DJ Workshop said in a statement that despite “events beyond our control” the festival would go on elsewhere.

“Over the past several weeks, Skills DJ Workshop repeatedly met with Regency Center staff, medical personnel, the venue’s security team, and the San Francisco Police Department to ensure that we can make Imagine 2000 a safe and secure event for our attendees,” he said. “However, we’ve come to the conclusion that the Regency may not be the best venue for this particular event.”

Imagine 2000 was moved to the Oakland Metro Operahouse.