Venue: The Tabernacle - Atlanta, GA
Presented by: Mirage

Yes, it was about time for another badass Mirage party at the Tabernacle. Everyone seems to have a strong attraction to the Mirage parties because they usually have a really good line-up. No one I know has ever had a bad experience with Mirage (except for the one at the end of Feburary '99 but it's easily forgotten).

When we got there I witnessed the longest line I've seen in a while. It stretched from the door all the way around to the back of the building. You would've thought Rabbit in the Moon was there! I'm sure it was the rare appearance by Anthony Pappa. Security was as strict as usual, making the guy in front of me throw away his inhaler and a writing pen.

As soon as I stepped into the building, I could feel the good vibes surround me. I have to mention this because in my last review (Friday da 13th at the Atrium) I complained about the lack of PLUR at today's parties. At Mirage, it was the exact opposite. It was like the parties of yesterday. Everyone was friendly and generous. Numerous people came up and offered me candy and gum. No one pushed or shoved and if they did, they gave me a big hug in return. I really didn't want to leave when morning came. Not only were the people friendly but the DJs seemed to be in extra-good spirits too.

The first person that I heard was Anthony Pappa. What a god! Why doesn't he come here more often? From what I hear, Anthony Pappa is a perfectionist and it shows in his mixing skills. I wasn't the only one that was impressed. I talked to DJ Sync who could offer nothing but praise for his performance. Sextron01 (the live p.a. act) also said, "He was awesome. None of his stuff got on my nerves. He played every record the right amount of time." It's just unfortunate that he went on first and I'm sure a lot of people missed him.

After Anthony Pappa went off, up came Icey. He played a lot of old tracks that most of the people recognized. Icey is so full of energy and it really comes through in his music. The crowd could feel his love for his music because there wasn't one person sitting down. Icey also integrated songs into his set from Deee-lite and Len.

During Icey, Hazeus was playing some really good jungle records downstairs. He's one of the only drum n bass DJs that can play a completely mellow track and still have the people dancing. He has impeccable music skills and plays very diverse set. His unusual choices in music have carried him far throughout his career.

Then came the man, Christopher Lawrence. On September 24th, he proved why he was named America's best trance DJ. You could feel the surge of energy in the main room when he came on.

The good vibes hit its peak when Christopher Lawrence started his set. I simply closed my eyes and let his music take me into a hypnotic trance. I think he took us all on a journey that night.

The "Godfather" of trance made his appearance next...that would be Kimball Collins himself. You have to admire how long he's actually been around. He played an incredible set, mixing trance and house as only Kimball can do it. The energy seemed to be radiating everywhere. The DJs and the crowd shared the same positive vision of where they wanted to night to go.

After spending most of the night in the main room, we decided to move to the chill-out area. The room that Mirage holds this area in is so spiritual. The Tabernacle is actually an old church and the chill area is where the stained glass windows are located. Mirage always sets the DJ booth directly in front of the stained glass so all our locals look like glowing saints. This was appropriate since Atlanta's very own angel, Gabriel, played that night. Poor Gabriel had just come from the Fountainhead Lounge where he played for six hours straight. Now that's a dedicated DJ! Even though he should have been tired, he didn't show it and took everybody in the room on a journey with mellow drum n bass. The night ended perfectly as everyone stared dreamily at the blacklight butterflies hanging from the ceiling.

The Mirage event came to an end with many people still begging to stay. As we walked downstairs to leave, I noticed half the people that came were still downstairs. That's always a sign of a good party. How can you possibly go wrong with Mirage?