The ongoing brouhaha between Los Angeles politicos and promoters of dance-focused concerts has seemingly resulted in one of the nation's largest electronic music festivals leaving Los Angeles for Las Vegas. Insomniac Inc.'s two-day Electric Daisy Carnival, which last June drew between 80,000 and 100,000 people per day to the L.A. Memorial Coliseum and adjoining Exposition Park, is leaving the Coliseum for Vegas after Insomniac's 13 years working with the L.A. venue.

Insomniac had previously announced that Electric Daisy would be held June 24 and 25 in Los Angeles, and it looked to be on track to return to the Coliseum. Yet controversy has followed the event for the last eight months. After last year's concert, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors established a task force to take a closer look at DJ-focused concerts, and Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky at the time called for a "rave moratorium."

Late Thursday, however, Insomniac announced that an official agreement was still not inked, and Electric Daisy would be staged the same weekend in Las Vegas. 

"Without an executed contract in place at this time, it has become impossible to guarantee to all of the fans and talent that EDC can be produced at this venue this year," read a statement attributed to Insomniac Chief Executive Pasquale Rotella. "We are grateful for all of the events we have been able to produce at the Coliseum and Sports Arena over the years."

 

Tickets never went on sale and promotions were never staged, but a planned headlining concert by electronic artist Tiësto is the center of a seven-figure civil suit filed against the city of Los Angeles on Friday. Local dance promoter Insomniac Inc. claims the city breached its contract when it canceled what would have been an Oct. 30 concert by the well-known trance artist in the West Hall of the Los Angeles Convention Center.

On Monday, the mayor’s office referred requests for comments to the convention center, and a spokeswoman for the facility said no statement or comment would be forthcoming. In its filing, Insomniac --  the company that also staged the now-controversial two-day Electric Daisy Carnival in and around L.A. Memorial Coliseum in late June -- claims that the city did not have proper cause to terminate the concert, for which tickets were to go on sale Aug. 17.

Insomniac writes in its complaint that the city cited the rampant use of the drug Ecstasy at Electric Daisy, as well as the death of a teenage girl who attended the concert and died of a suspected overdose, as its reasons for calling off the Tiësto appearance. In its claims for damages, Insomniac cited more than a dozen recent deaths at or after major music or sporting events, including that of a 27-year-old man who died after being punched at a Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim game, essentially arguing that the Tiësto appearance was unfairly singled out because of public perceptions of dance and electronic rave-like concerts.

At least 19 people reportedly died at the Love Parade, a well-known dance event in the German city of Duisburg, and more than 340 were said to be injured as the apparent closure of a gate resulted in a suffocating crush of people. Duisburg Mayor Adolf Sauerland was quoted in German press as saying the Love Parade was "one of the biggest tragedies the city has ever experienced," and festival organizers announced Sunday that the event would be  discontinued permanently. 

The Love Parade, a techno- and trance-focused DJ-led event, turned deadly late Saturday afternoon as attendees were trapped in a tunnel leading to the main concert site. The exact cause of the crush was difficult to pinpoint, but numerous eyewitness accounts and reports from the German and British media seemed to indicate the tunnel exit was closed when it was determined the event was at capacity. Yet those awaiting to get in continued to move forward even as those at the end of the tunnel attempted to turn around.

The below is from a detailed timeline of events in Germany's Deutsche Welle: 

A bottleneck forms in the tunnel as people continue pushing forward. Simultaneously, others attempt to move in the opposite direction to return to the railway station. The air begins to thin and panic builds as some attempt to escape -- to no avail. Many people are intoxicated or using drugs, and are severely dehydrated.

The BBC has quoted police officials as saying 14 were killed on the steps outside the tunnel. At least six of the dead were said to be foreigners, ranging in age from 20 to 40. It appeared to have been hours before medical personnel could safely navigate the crowd and reach the tunnel, and the concert wasn't immediately canceled as organizers feared a mass panic.

In deciding to merge the July event with an August concert instead, Hard Events’ Gary Richards cites extra rules and costs created in the wake of a death after the Electric Daisy Carnival.

In the wake of controversy after the death of a 15-year-old girl at a rave held at the Los Angeles Coliseum on June 25, the annual Hard L.A. concert, scheduled to take place Saturday at downtown’s Los Angeles State Historic Park, was abruptly canceled Monday.

The concert was to feature beat-based acts including M.I.A., Die Antwoord, Flying Lotus, Sleigh Bells and others and was drawing extra scrutiny because of its location at the park, just east of Chinatown.

The cancellation arrived a week after the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors appointed a task force to “enhance rave safety” after Sasha Rodriguez died of a suspected drug overdose after attending the Electric Daisy Carnival. Establishment of the task force came after the Coliseum Commission announced a temporary ban on new contracts with rave operators as they review such events. 

Gary Richards, the promoter of Hard L.A., denied the cancellation was caused by the Coliseum incident but acknowledged that in the wake of Rodriguez’s death, city officials forced the producers to add “a lot of extra stipulations and requirements” that “resulted in unforeseen costs to the event.” He said his company, Hard Events, plans to go ahead with an Aug. 7 concert at the park and that some acts scheduled to appear Saturday would be shifted to the later event.

“I don't want anyone to think that this cancellation had anything to do with the events that occurred at Electric Daisy Carnival, because it didn't,” Richards said.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to establish a task force to examine and "enhance rave safety" after last month's Electric Daisy Carnival led to more than 100 hospitalizations. A 15-year-old girl died last week of a suspected drug overdose after attending the two-day dance event at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum and adjoining Exposition Park, which drew between 80,000 and 100,000 people per day. 

The motion to establish the task force follows a call last week by Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky to establish a rave moratorium. Coliseum officials announced last week a temporary ban on new contracts with rave operators as they consider whether to allow another such event.

"While the Coliseum Commission has taken steps to temporarily stop these events from being held on its property, the county must work with other key community stakeholders to look at the larger public health risks posts by raves and other similar events," the motion reads.

The motion defines a rave as "musical events" that "tend to be held over ... long periods of time -- sometimes days -- in large venues on both public and private property." Among the issues the task force seeks to investigate are the location, hours and size in "which these events can legally be held," as well as education efforts to "raise awareness about the potential dangers of rave parties."  

 
Another day, and more tales of a beleaguered concert season emerge. This time, its former teen sensations the Jonas Brothers, whose summer tour was shuffled to include more international dates, yet about a dozen fewer North American ones (the act's local appearance in Irvine was shifted from Sept. 23 to Sept. 19). 

But there is one instance in which slow ticket sales might put the minds of local officials at ease. Ticket buys for M.I.A.'s headlining July 17 appearance at Hard L.A., slated for a 36-acre plot of land at the Los Angeles State Historic Park, which is just east of Chinatown, are trending far below the capacity of 25,000 people, according to event organizers. 

The July 17 concert, also featuring noise act Sleigh Bells, African rap act Die Antwoord and hip-hop group N.E.R.D., is the city's first major electronic event to follow June's Electric Daisy Carnival. That two-day dance event drew 185,000 people to the Coliseum and adjoining Exposition Park but came under fire after reports of injuries and gate-crashing, as well as the tragic news that a 15-year-old girl died of a suspected drug overdose after attending the event. L.A. County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky went so far as to call for a rave moratorium.

The fallout, as noted in this weekend's Calendar, has brought heightened attention on Hard L.A.

"There's a concern, and I've heard from multiple agencies," said James Valdez, a state park ranger and the lead coordinator for events in the Los Angeles sector who will be overseeing Hard L.A. "Will we reevaluate our plans and logistics? Yes. In light of Electric Daisy, we will increase our numbers all the way around."

Cut from the story, however, was the off-handed comment from Valzez that "there may be more staff than people" at Hard L.A. Exaggeration or not, Gary Richards, a veteran dance music promoter who is hosting Hard L.A., noted in a separate interview that "we could use some more ticket sales."

After teen's death at the Electric Daisy festival, artists and L.A. promoters seek to distance events like the upcoming Hard L.A. fest from the stigma attached to such massive dance party shows.

In the troubled aftermath of last week's mega electronic music festival at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum, artists and local promoters are confronting a dauntingly familiar question: what to do about the "R" word and the "E" word.

"R" stands for "rave," as techno dance parties have been commonly known since they were birthed in the suburbs of post-industrial Detroit and the underground clubs of Thatcherite Britain in the late 1980s and early '90s. The "E" word, as dance music aficionados know, is Ecstasy, the controversial, euphoria-inducing drug that's used by many ravers to enhance their connection to the frenetically beat-driven music.

Less than 24 hours after a 15-year-old girl died of a suspected drug overdose after attending the Electric Daisy Carnival, a two-day music party that featured some of the world's top DJs and drew 185,000 people to the Coliseum and adjoining Exposition Park, L.A. County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky called for a rave moratorium. Other public health and safety officials have echoed his concerns.

With multiple electronica-focused events planned in L.A. over the coming weeks, including July 17's Hard L.A. at the Los Angeles State Historic Park, a 36-acre plot just east of Chinatown, what was to be a dance-heavy summer was off to an inauspicious start.

"There's a concern, and I've heard from multiple agencies," said James Valdez, a state park ranger and the lead coordinator for events in the Los Angeles sector who'll be overseeing Hard L.A. "Will we reevaluate our plans and logistics? Yes. In light of Electric Daisy, we will increase our numbers all the way around."

Local producers and promoters, meanwhile, are doing their best to reassure ticket buyers that their shows will go on in an orderly fashion, without the gate-crashing and dozens of teenagers needing medical treatment that marred Electric Daisy Carnival.

Gary Richards, a veteran dance music promoter who's hosting Hard L.A., said in an interview last week that he is working with the LAPD to make sure his event goes off without problems.

But Richards also insists that his event shouldn't be called a rave.

"I do not want to be a rave. I do not want kids in there eating pacifiers," he said, a reference to some ravers' practice of holding pacifiers in their mouths to keep from grinding their teeth, which is a sometimes involuntary side effect of Ecstasy use.

"I'm trying to get to music fans who love this music. I've been involved with electronic music for 20 years," Richards continued, "and I've seen this cycle happen three times. It gets popular, and then something happens and then it goes away. My goal is to do these events with quality artists and make them safe and secure."

Critic's notebook: Hospitalization, arrests and the death of a teen at Electric Daisy Carnival raises questions about raves. But really, Woodstock and discos weren't so long ago.

The first news that hit my ears about the Electric Daisy Carnival was all positive. Amazing, said friends who'd immersed in the beats and the force field of moving bodies. Dance culture is still so alive. Then came reports of misadventure, including the tragic death of Sasha Rodriguez. A buried loop of pop-historical scenes began playing in my head.

Woodstock, 1969: "The picture I have in my mind is almost of the famous Lautrec poster of the cancan girls with the man's silhouette in front of that, and that just went on for hours and hours and hours, and folks dancing and getting high, and dancing and dancing and dancing all night long."

A New York City disco, circa 1978: "I loathe crowds. But tonight the music and the drugs and the exhilaration has stripped me of all such scruples. We were packed in so tightly we were forced to slither across each other's wet bodies and arms…. I surrendered myself to the idea that I was just like everyone else. A body among bodies."

A San Diego rave, 1995: "All around me, thousands of people dance, grin, and stare at the same time. Most of them look very high…."

These quotes, from Woodstock campground coordinator Stanley Goldstein and authors Edmund White and Dennis Cooper, reflect the long history of chemically enhanced free-form movement as a route to bliss, if not enlightenment, for music lovers. I risk cliché if I trace the phenomenon back to ancient rites presided over by Dionysus, god of wine and frenzy. My point is merely that the mix of music, dancing and alleged chemical enhancement that led to problems for some and delight for many at the carnival was downright traditional.

The following is an excerpt from a story that will appear in tomorrow's Los Angeles Times.

When the Electric Daisy Carnival — a massive dance party with top-name acts — rolled into town last weekend, officials thought they were prepared, this time.

There were rows of ambulances ready outside the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Nearby hospitals raised their staff to levels that are used for "multi-casualty incidents," such as train crashes. The Los Angeles Police Department used twice as many officers as are usually deployed at USC football games. Crash-proof fences were installed to guard against crowd surges and an investigator from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was stationed at the command post.

But was it enough?

The suspected drug overdose death on Tuesday evening of a 15-year-old girl who had attended the event came on the heels of reports that hundreds had tried to crash the gates and scores were taken by ambulance to nearby emergency rooms, most with symptoms of drug intoxication.

On Wednesday, as criticism mounted, Coliseum officials announced a temporary ban on new contracts with rave operators as they consider whether to allow another such event.

"The general public deserves to be assured that when the Coliseum's tenants stage an event, the health and safety of the promoter's patrons are protected," Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, who serves on the joint state, county and city commission that oversees the Coliseum, said in a letter calling for a temporary halt to such events. "Clearly, there was a breakdown at the Electric Daisy Carnival which put the public at risk."

The death Tuesday of Sasha Rodriguez, a high school student and drill team member from Atwater Village, was the latest in a string of high-profile problems at raves held in public venues — problems that already had attracted the attention of the CDC.

Last month, the CDC reported at least 18 Ecstasy overdoses at a New Year's rave at the Los Angeles Sports Arena, next to the Coliseum. Two men died of suspected overdoses during a Memorial Day weekend rave at the Cow Palace in Daly City, south of San Francisco.

At the Electric Daisy Carnival, held for the 14th year, Los Angeles police made 118 arrests, mostly for drug possession. Deputy Police Chief Pat Gannon said he had 40 plainclothes detectives working the show — and added that "if I had 1,000 I would have made 1,000 arrests it was so packed with drugs."

Officials from the Los Angeles County district attorney's office said they have filed 34 felony drug charges in connection with the event. In addition, 25 cases alleging possession with intent to sell have been referred to the L.A. city attorney's office.

Los Angeles has perhaps the most thriving rave scene in the nation, and the Electric Daisy Carnival is billed as North America's largest dance event. Promoters said 185,000 attended over two days. Raves are known for mixing a stew of electronic music, special effects and, frequently, narcotics, to fuel dancers for hours. Many who attended the event said the crowd was friendly and mellow.

Technically, anyone who was under 16 had to be accompanied by an adult — but Gannon said there was no evidence that anyone was checking attendees' identification.

Los Angeles-based Insomniac Inc., the festival's producer, called Sasha's death "a tragic circumstance" in a statement Wednesday.

"Our hearts and prayers go out to her family and friends at this difficult time," the statement said. "We are currently reviewing the entire event and planning process with our security team, law enforcement and the city officials who participated in organizing and planning Electric Daisy Carnival."

Insomniac declined to discuss the issue further.

Read the full story. 

Crowds rush a fence at the Electric Daisy Carnival. (John W. Adkisson / Los Angeles Times)

Rong-Gong Lin II on the Times' L.A. Now reports: 

A 15-year-old girl has died of a suspected drug overdose after attending a rave over the weekend at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, a hospital official said Tuesday.

The girl was one of two rave attendees who were in critical condition at California Hospital Medical Center after the 14th annual Electric Daisy Carnival. According to the event's website, guests had to be at least 16 to attend, raising questions about how the girl gained admission.

She and the other critically ill patient had been taken to the downtown Los Angeles hospital by ambulance directly from the venue, officials said. Both were treated for drug intoxication in the  intensive care unit.

“She came in as an emergency patient from the rave. She was in respiratory arrest when she got here and she never recovered,” said Katreena Salgado, a spokeswoman for the hospital.

Salgado said the 15-year old girl arrived non-responsive and never woke up. She died shortly before 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.

A full determination of the drugs in the dead teen's system will not be known until an autopsy and toxicology tests are completed. 

Read more on L.A. Now, including statements from Pat Lynch, who manages the Coliseum.

• Electric Daisy Carnival draws 185,000 for electronic music and good vibes: Attendees say the festival at the Coliseum and Exposition Park, with music from such DJs as will.i.am., Kaskade and Deadmau5, has an atmosphere of "world peace."

• PHOTOS: Electric Daisy Carnival at Exposition Park and L.A. Coliseum.

• More than 100 taken to hospitals during Electric Daisy Carnival: The two-day electronic music festival drew 185,000. Officials say 226 people suffered injuries, 114 of whom went to hospitals. Extent of injuries was not known.

Earlier coverage:

• Kaskade spins with electronica into the mainstream: The DJ (well, he's more than that), performing at Electric Daisy Carnival in L.A. this weekend, knows how to make Vegas, and his music, move.

• Dance music grooves to the fore: A scene that started in illegal warehouse parties in the '90s is taking over airwaves, stadiums and public parks this summer.

• Will.i.am on rave culture: "The underground is bigger than the surface. That's what people don't understand."

Photo: The crowd at Electric Daisy. Credit: Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times

Those returning from Coachella this year perhaps noticed the Electric Daisy Carnival billboards lining Interstate 10, signs -- literally -- of the annual electronic music festival's scope and power. The advertisements were letting the bleary-eyed Coachellans know that they had a month and a half to sleep off the weekend they'd just endured and prepare for another kind of massive.

And the Electric Daisy Carnival, which takes place on June 25-26 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coloseum and Park, is indeed massive. While Coachella gets a ton of press and set an attendance record this year, last year's EDC drew a reported 135,000 people over the two days, and the Saturday ticket drew 90,000, placing it among the top music draws of the year.

That 2009 installment marked an important first for EDC and its promoter, Insomniac: After 12 years of creating a single-day event, it expanded to two days, which resulted in a lot more attendance as well as a lot more out-of-towners road-tripping to get to the festival, said Pasquale Rotella, EDC's founder and the principal behind Insomniac.

"It was a great experience for us, and we saw the benefits on many fronts," Rotella said of the addition of a second day, during a telephone conversation. "But from a production point of view the two-day EDC works much better. It was always a shame for me that in the past we'd get really involved in a show -- picking the art installations, setting up the stage production and sound -- and then when the crowd arrived, it was a 12-hour rush for everyone to experience it all and get their groove on. With a two-day festival, people have time to take it all in."

But with the added day came way more people, resulting in crowds that were at times overwhelming, added Rotella. To combat the scrums, Insomniac has reimagined the area.