Dabin Helped Me Find What It Means To Be Alive

Last weekend, I had the extreme pleasure of checking out Dabin in Minneapolis. The Festival Voice sent three reps, myself, Stewart, and Ben to check out his Between Broken Tour. And can I just say, WOW. This show knocked my socks off. I can’t even express how amazing I felt this entire show. Dabin KILLED IT. I truly discovered what it means to be alive. If you haven’t checked out Dabin at this point, you NEED to.

First off, we got there when Skybreak was playing. The vibes were killer and we were grooving to our hearts’ content. We definitely enjoyed him and had a blast.

We decided to take a quick restroom break when Rome in Silver started- and I have to say, fate really came into play here. Some girl asked me to take her group’s picture so we stopped to take the picture and the next thing I knew, I heard my name. “Savannah? Oh my God!” We both turned around to see my college friend, Cole. I hadn’t seen him since 2013 when we went to Spring Awakening. He had transferred the next year, so we hadn’t seen each other since. It was absolutely AMAZING running into him and we spent the rest of the show dancing with him. 

We missed most of Rome in Silver, unfortunately, but it was great catching up with Cole and his wife, Sam. 

And then- Dabin.

Oh man, I just have to say, this was one of the best shows I have ever attended. I’m not just saying that because I covered it for The Festival Voice, I’m serious. There were tons of amazing moments throughout the show. Dabin knew exactly how to change the vibe in a heartback. He was so melodic but knew how to go hard. Not in an Excision hard way, but the exact amount of hard to get you headbanging. It was astounding.

I sang my heart out to Falling by Seven Lions. I’m a huge Seven Lions fan and this was one of my favorite moments. Then, Hearts on Fire. The whole theater was belting out the lyrics and everybody was feeling the same emotions. Words cannot express the feeling the entire community was having at that exact moment.

Then Starbright came on and everyone was having the time of their lives, dancing and singing. Finally, Dabin closed with Alive. I wasn’t familiar with that song because I didn’t know much of Dabin before Between Broken. That song… I cannot get enough of it.

The lyrics read, “I didn’t think that I could make it
Came close to giving up every day
The fact I’m here is kind of amazing
Funny how destiny brought out the best of me

So darling, why don’t we get high on love and let it in?
Feel the flood of everything
Oh, of everything tonight
Surrender ’til it’s all too much
I’m giving in to the rush
No, I’ve never been
Oh, I’ve never been so alive”

Oh. My. God. I have never resonated with a song so much. There was a point in time when I didn’t think that I was going to make it in life. And then I discovered EDM. I cannot say how much festivals have changed my life. So much so that I am a completely different person. Festivals make me feel like I am alive, I feel every moment to the extreme. So Dabin- hats off to you and your absolutely phenomenal show. You truly made me feel alive. Thank you for crafting such an amazing show. And thank you for giving me the song that truly describes my life with Alive.

“I wanna live, I wanna be right now
I wanna scream ’til my lungs give out
Oh, this is what it means to be alive
And I wish that time would just slow down
I can’t get enough of life right now
Oh, this is what it means to be alive, oh”

This community has changed my life for the absolute better. As I sit here reflecting, (and listening to Alive), I am in near tears at what this scene means to me. This is what it means to be alive.