PI Update: News On The March

One never knows what one's going to find when one crosses that bridge to Pleasure Island!

Nothing new to report in the space formerly occupied by Apricot Lane and PI Live Bar. Nor at 8TRAX. Interestingly, the new Downtown Disney Guidemap doesn't show the 8TRAX building at all, even though it's there, yet it does show the Apricot Lane building, even though it's not there! These are crazy times on the Island!

Of course Mannequins Dance Palace remains standing proudly, ready to crank-up the revolving dance floor for wildly-popular Electronic Dance Music!  (See Electric Daisy Carnival.)

Over at the Lilypad, a new stage has been installed for musical entertainment for acts such as Mitch Corbin and Nicholas Marks.  The DTD Times Guide refers to this area solely as "In Front of Fulton's Crabhouse."

Live entertainment continues outside BET Soundstage.  Over here they're not referring to this area as "In Front of BET Soundstage" though.  This is simply called West End Plaza.

Crossing the No. 4 Bridge back to the West Side!

The new Fit2Run has opened adjacent Curl by Sammy Duval.  Both shops are pleasantly large!

Wetzel's Pretzels has been gutted, ready to be turned into a Starbucks opening next Spring.

Finally, parking in Downtown Disney has become quite scarce with two large lots closed for construction, particularly on weekend afternoons and all evenings.  Free shuttle bus service is being offered from Team Disney and SunTrust, both located across Buena Vista Drive. I've always managed to find spaces in the N-Lot beside Cirque or the O-P-Q Lots beyond House of Blues.  Come on out and experience it all for yourself!

PI Update: Bypass Added To DTD Guidemap

Hadn't been out to Pleasure Island since the new bypass opened this past week so I knew I needed to personally experience it!  And the new Downtown Disney Guidemap now has the bypass causeway on it!  So let's check it out!  Eastbound, it begins here near Characters In Flight.

A high wall along the entire "Island" side of the causeway pretty much takes any perception that you're walking along the Pleasure Island shore and keeps you focused on the water side.  That one high wall on the left side is where the causeway takes you nearest the pier for the tethered balloon, preventing any drunken attempt at trying to jump over to it.

The Pleasure Island water taxi dock is located in a completely new location from where it used to be but does connect directly to the new causeway.

Looking back at the water taxi dock's new position.

After passing the dock, the causeway takes a southward turn and connects back to Pleasure Island near Paradiso 37.  Festival of the Masters was taking place this past weekend and there's a few other new things to report.  We'll have that article for you tomorrow morning.

Concert Report: Electric Daisy Carnival Orlando - Day 2

"Eat Sleep Rave Repeat." It felt just like that Calvin Harris (GB) song!  Day 2 of Electric Daisy Carnival - Orlando starting off with a beeline to the Neon Garden stage which has been dedicated to pure House this year.  In the booth one of only two female DJ's playing this year (not withstanding Krewella), DJ Francesca Lombardo (GB).

Just a few gathered for this 4pm set.

Over at the adjacent Circuit Grounds stage, a big performance out of 3LAU (USA).

After hearing so much Dubstep & Moombahton at this stage yesterday, it was nice to hear some "normal" music here for a change, lol.

Biggest crowd of the three stages at this point of the evening!

DJ Henry Krinkle (USA) was on the Kinetic Field main stage playing Dance!

And to the crowd chant of "UMEK, UMEK!", DJ Umek (SLO) came on with a impressive and driving set of vocal House!

As day turned into night.

Spotted: DJ Tommie Sunshine (USA) posing for photos with the peeps.

Spotted: Sergio (Clean & Green).  His company has the contract to clean up the huge mess left by concert-goers at all Insomniac events.

The first of three back-to-back French DJ's, Martin Solveig (F).

He told the crowd that this was the first time he had ever played in Orlando and he was happy to be here.  I had seen him play at EDC-Chicago earlier this year but I think he's right!

By now the area near the stage had become impossibly packed!  And although I had told myself I wasn't going to do it this year, I ventured into the madness!

Not too bad of a view of Madeon (F), the 19-yr old phenom from Nantes!

Selections included his hit "The City".

The night air of this Orlando November evening had become chilly but once you got into the cluster, it was downright hot!

EDC Girls!

EDC Girl!

EDC insect!

Never more than a minute between DJ sets, the third French DJ in a row!

Cedric Gervais (F).

The crowd was having a great time!

He played his hit remix of "Summertime Sadness" ft. Lana del Rey.  And while he did play "Molly", he didn''t devote one-third of his set to the song like I complained about last year!

And then the set so many were waiting for: New World Punx!  Who?

It's none other than a collaboration of Trance DJ's Ferry Corsten (NL) and Markus Schulz (USA)!

Both DJ's were in a super-great mood and you can tell they're enjoying working together.  Only about 50% of the song selections were Trance, the rest more like Electrohouse but it was a great effort with great graphic behind and below them!

And then things got really fun!  It was time to enter Dadaland!  They had played Orlando previously but this was the first time I got to see them live!

The crazy DJ duo Dada Life (S)!

They were the first Swedish DJ's to play at any of the three Orlando EDC's!  Their Dadaland flag is of course Swedish but includes Dada Life's trademark bananas and champagne!

Bananas everywhere!

They played all their hits, opening with "Rolling Stone T-Shirt", closing with "Born To Rage" and in between jamming in "Feed The Dada" and "Kick Out The Epic (Motherfucker)"!

More arm kandi!

Another EDC girl!

Too jammed-in to go see Cosmic Gate(D) or Gareth Emery (GB) on the other stages like I had planned, I closed-out with one of the top DJ's in the world, Kaskade (USA).

And it was a brilliant set that included many of his recent and not-so-recent hits!  This was his first performance ever in Orlando.  Finally!

Had to be close to the 25,000 sell-out on this second night of EDC.

People jammed into every corner of Tinker Field!

And a good time was had by all! Wow!