Trippin on Daisies

If music was made to bring souls, energies and cultures together then Rocking the Daisies (RDT) would be the Woodstock of unity.

Location: Darling’s Cloof Wine Estate was once again turned into a ‘live music mecca’ early this October, drawing music lovers from across the globe.

With a rock-up of up to 16 000 people, you’re bound to find the most amazing souls: a lover-of-life’s-adventures-Belgian guy, a compassionate Australian girl with a sense of eagerness, 2 Dutch brothers with broken English, but enough passion to light the main stage or even an American couple still embracing their parent’s flower-power.

Accommodation: Nature. You get to rough it for the 4 days in your own pitched tent. The feeling of unity doesn’t only coincide with standing in a sea of people jamming to the same music, it roots itself in your camping spot too.

Music mixed with laughter, singing, clinking of bottles and that distinctive aroma of herbs with certain psychoactive qualities, drifts through the air. The number of tents increase with each day till it would seem there’s no possible spot left. All patched together like a colourful, mismatched quilt.

For those who’re not comfortable with the idea of parting with their [comfortable] lifestyle, there’s a designated area assigned for ‘glamping’ – Heartbreak Motel. It offers various, luxurious options including pre-pitched tents with mattresses, locks, cell-phone charging, hot showers and a daily breakfast spread.

Music: Electrifying. The line-up promised more than just indie-rock vibes with a groove to sooth everyone’s soul. National artists that dominated the main stage lit a fire of pride inside Africans: Al Bairre, The Nomadic Orchestra, ShortStraw, Beach Party and The Plastics had the crowd jiving to their contagious beat, while Desmond and the Tututs, Goodluck and P.H.Fat had everyone jumping to their unique pulsating sound.

Boys Noize, Gateway Drugs and Stone Age Citizens’ powerful sound vibrates inside your chest as colourful lights and lasers illuminated the night sky.

International acts such as Alt-J and The Hives gathered the masses. You find yourself in a sea of people shouting the lyrics with as much passion as the artists on stage. It is in that moment that your true spiritual being breaks forth as you move to the unpretentious music, letting go of all conscious thought.

I may have walked away from RTD with a busted lip, two cuts, and throbbing feet, but while my body screamed, ‘No more!’ my soul and mind had experienced a rejuvenation of spiritual bliss and a burning energy.

But that’s my experience. Go and get your on. You’re bound to be educated with something profound. The thing about these outdoor events: it’s more than a ‘social’ event. It’s also a learning experience. It’s the type of education goes beyond the confinements of a classroom. The type of education that goes beyond the physical. It grabs and loosens the mind, body and soul.

It’s the reaching of the music that takes control of your physical being, leaving you in a mental and spiritual bliss.