On the morning of October 12th, 2023, history was made at Red Rocks Amphitheater by the EDM community, yet there was no electronic music playing. In fact, no one was dancing at all. Two thousand people gathered in the amphitheater to lie down, meditate, and immerse themselves in the first ever sound bath at Red Rocks. This event was LSDREAM’s LIGHTCODE.
LSDREAM is known in the EDM scene for his deep psychedelic bass music. With releases such as “PEACE, LOVE, & WUBZ”, “Badman”, and “FUNKONAUT”, LSDREAM has continued to impact the minds and hearts of ravers around the world. Coincidentally, he first introduced his side alias, LIGHTCODE, on October 12th, 2020. LIGHTCODE involves sound bath frequencies and guided meditations to propel people on their “spiritual, emotional, and creative journeys.” (LSDREAM, Twitter). Since the announcement, LIGHTCODE variations have been released on social media platforms at numerous festivals across the country.
Photo by Frankie Zaratonello
After meditating to LIGHTCODE at home and hearing the profound experiences of others, I had the growing, deep desire to experience it in person. When I saw announcements of LIGHTCODE being performed at 2023 festivals such as Okeechobee, Electric Forest, and Lightning In A Bottle, I desperately tried to attend. However, my boyfriend, Leo, and I were in the process of saving up to live in our van full-time, so attending any festival early in the year was not in the cards for us at the moment. We watched with FOMO on social media as more videos, pictures and personal stories of LIGHTCODE were shared. We continued to stay patient and trust that our time would come to experience LSDREAM’s sound bath meditation.
As May came around and our Vanlife Ravers dreams were starting to become reality, LSDREAM announced that he would be performing both a DJ set, DREAMROCKS, and a LIGHTCODE set at Red Rocks Amphitheater in October. Immediately, I screamed for Leo to look at the announcement. I could feel it in my bones, THIS WAS OUR TIME! We made the decision that we would add Colorado into our travel itinerary and booked our tickets for both LIGHTCODE and DREAMROCKS.
We arrived in the Red Rocks parking lot at 7:30 a.m., and it was a cloudy, chilly Colorado morning. We ate a quick breakfast and layered up in sweatpants, LSDREAM jerseys, pashminas, beanies, and rave cloaks. Waiting in line to enter the amphitheater, it was beautiful to see so many people decked out in colorful patterns and LSDREAM gear, similarly holding yoga mats and blankets, waiting to immerse themselves in a healing experience. I felt a strong sense of community and inclusivity. As we walked into the amphitheater for the first time, overwhelming feelings of peace, spiritual energy, and excitement came into my body. I was taken aback by the towering red boulders that surrounded the amphitheater. There was also an incredible view of the city below us. Although I had seen pictures and videos of Red Rocks countless times, no digital image could compare to the beauty of being there in person.
We shuffled down the stairs and found our spot for the meditation near the front center of the stands. We played out our blanket and mats just a few rocks back from the decorated platform that LSDREAM would be on. He came out 30 minutes early, graciously greeting and hugging the many fans that formed a line at the bottom of the steps. We got comfortable on the ground and anticipated the event that was about to occur.
Photo of me before LIGHTCODE
LSDREAM introduced with high esteem, SHIVARASA, a fellow sound healer who would assist him in guiding LIGHTCODE. LSDREAM was wearing a purple and pink DREAMROCKS merch hoodie and SHIVARASA was clothed in a royal white cloak dress with fur trim. They welcomed everyone to the first ever sound bath at Red Rocks; I actually had no idea that we were creating history until this was announced. LSDREAM asked for a show of hands if it was anyone’s first time at Red Rocks or a sound bath. I think we were all amazed at the wave of arms going up across the stands indicating that it was a special, first-time experience for the majority of attendees. LSDREAM and SHIVARASA gave about 11 minutes of introduction explaining the outline of the LIGHTCODE experience we were about to partake in. In the words of LSDREAM, we were about to enter “an integrative meditation/visualization, sound bath [and] breath work.”
Photo by Frankie Zaratonello
“Feel free to lie down,” SHIVARASA cooed, “We recommend this experience lying down on your back.” The crowd transitioned and we made our way down to their mats. “If you stand up,” LSDREAM joked, “we like to call that a sound shower, but it’s not very popular.”
The crowd giggled then quieted as I covered my eyes with my pashmina and interlocked my hand with Leo lying next to me. Sounds and frequencies began to play as SHIVARASA’s voice led us into a relaxing mediation. The meditation shifted to a visualization in which we traveled through our own minds to envision a sacred space for ourselves. I found this portion of LIGHTCODE profound because it was interesting to see what my mind envisioned when prompted to visualize my sacred space. In my mind, I saw myself opening a door to outer space filled with colorful galaxies, planets and stars. I was floating on a small rock ledge in this space and was completely safe and relaxed; this was my sanctuary for my LIGHTCODE journey. We were also guided through variations of breath work that accompanied the mellow sounds and vibrations.
Besides the guided meditation/visualization, my favorite part was feeling body vibrate to the powerful, healing frequencies of the bass. There was a sound that resonated like the loud, echoing bang of a gong that sent me deeper into relaxation. At one point, I could feel the warmth of the sun shining down between the clouds. I felt lifted, light, and love. The 1.5 hour long LIGHTCODE set came to a close by SHIVARASA advising us to wiggle our toes and fingers and to eventually make our way to sitting and then to standing. I fluttered my eyes open with feelings of peace and gratitude for my personal journey that I had just embarked on alongside thousands of other humans. LSDREAM invited us to say “hi” and hug our neighbors. It was such a beautiful feeling to see the smiling faces of strangers reaching out to me with loving embrace.
Participating in the first LIGHTCODE at Red Rocks was an incredibly heartfelt and memorable experience for me. A part of me is grateful that we waiting until Red Rocks to witness LIGHTCODE because it was so special to be a part of the first sound bath at Red Rocks. I will continue to remember the feelings of gratitude, acceptance, peace and love that I experienced on my LIGHTCODE journey. If you ever see LIGHTCODE on a festival lineup, I cannot recommend enough giving this unique, healing sound bath meditation a try.
Photo of me after LIGHTCODE
– Reina (@vanliferavers)