Let’s Take A Second To Appreciate That Mill Avenue Block Party with Ghastly and Dr. Fresch

Now this is not an article that I am writing to review the event, but rather to point out why block parties on Mill Avenue are a good idea and what they do right. Last Saturday, October 10th, following the massive win by ASU against Colorado University, Relentless Beats and C.A.S.A. threw a block party on Mill Avenue for the college students, party-goers, and alcoholics alike. We have these types of events in Tempe often as you may have noticed that nearly every excuse-to-drink holiday (St Patricks Day, Cinco de Mayo, Labor Day, Memorial Day) has a block party of their very own. However, it is not always that we are treated to a concert-like event as we were with the ILoveMakkonen block party back in March and this one on Saturday that featured Ghastly and Dr. Fresch as the headliners. Here is why an event like this works:

1. A Good Number of the Party-Goers Are Close to Home

Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that everyone who goes to the events live in Tempe, I know that there are those of you from all around the city. But when you take a look at the demographic of electronic music events, you will notice that a good number of them are college aged students, and the biggest college in our market, let alone the majority of the US universities, is ASU. With Mill Avenue being nearly on top of the ASU campus, a good number of the attendees are within walking distance of their homes. This creates a safer means of transportation and a cheaper one too.

2. The Setting is Intimate

One of the things that I really loved about this event was how small the gathering was. Everyone was chatting, you could hear the music from the entire venue, no spot was a bad one, and to top it off, the artists were hanging out with the crowd before and after the show. It is fun when a block party feels like a house party, and everyone just wants to hangout with each other. In a normally enclosed space, sometimes the acoustics can make it difficult to hear one another, but last Saturday it was the perfect blend of party and show.

3. The Show is Over by Midnight

That may sound like a real damper, but believe me it’s not. Think about where you are… Mill Avenue is alive and kicking until 2am, even 3am if you can have fun without drinking. The party may be over, but that doesn’t mean your night has to end. And on the other hand, for those of you who had a long day, you’re in bed by 1230. You didn’t even have to wait until 1am to see the person you paid for! In other words, no matter which you are, night owl or hibernating bear, you have the option to continue the party or to call it a night.

So, although not a review, I want to say that I had an incredible experience last Saturday night on Mill Avenue and I hope to have a similar one soon. The atmosphere and the people were incredible, the music and the visuals were on point, and I got to continue my night after the party was over with a cheap cab waiting to take me home. Here’s to concerts on Mill!

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