This past weekend the MDL Beast electronic music festival took place in Saudi Arabia and I spent the whole weekend checking out people’s pictures and videos because I was curious to how it would go. Well, it looked insane. The first day over 130,000 people showed up and the stage looked epic!
The event was mixed, not segregated. Some girls had abayas on while others didn’t. I really don’t think any other place could have announced an event this big just 10 days before the event date and still manage to fill up. Things are moving so fast in Saudi and they’re not playing around, they’re doing everything big. I’m loving watching this transformation.
Make sure you check out the videos and stories on the MDL Beast instagram account, they had this great aerial shot of the venue in their story and it looked like a mini city. @mdlbeast
25 replies on “Riyadh this Past Weekend”
“Some girls had abayas on while others didn’t” . What the fuck does that have to do with anything?
in Saudi, girls were previously required to have abbayas on when out in public but recently they’ve stopped that as well.
Oh yes… Forgot about that…
https://www.reddit.com/r/saudiarabia/comments/edpovb/harassment_at_mdl_beast/
No thank you.
What’s an “ariel” shot? Camera going from underwater to the surface? /s
hahahaha will fix it now
Amazing! This is a huge step. Wake up Kuwait and progress into real world 👍🏼
You blew my mind with your definition of “real world”
I just need better education, better roads, real projects, actual justice… Not concerts and legalizing alcohol and night clubs.
If anything, you’re the one who should wake up from such mentality.
+1
Wow! Just wow! Watching the video I would never have guessed this was somewhere other than US or Europe!
But what was with the guy dress all up as a Native American about midway through the first video?!
Kuwait need to step it up.
No thanks
So we are officially the most conservative and backward country in the Gulf now. Yeah I know Iran is worse, but I’m talking about GCC countries.
I don’t think you get to say “we”, Tommy.
I rather my nation to be known as conservative than liberal – where female objectification, sex, drugs, crimes and so much many more vices are a thing of their day-to-day life. Where a female get to be someone’s mistress so she can afford going to college.
Although Kuwait is conservative and backward yet we still have those crimes being committed but not in the same magnitude that’s for sure. Because we’re still “conservative and backward”
Hell with the entire Kuwait have to allow alcahol, concerts, night clubs – all that bs, so we can be a first world country and whatnot.
We need REAL progression in how things work in Kuwait. A better education system, health care, roads – a better life quality away from this bs.
Let them start with what is important, not what is trivial.
On a side note, I don’t get the appeal of going to a concert where the dude literally just hit play and start jumping just to hype people up. Live electronic music genre in a nutshell I guess. If it was Dream Theater concert I would totally take back all what I said and join the ranks of “Kuwait needs to step up” and “We are so outdated bohoo” hahaha
+1
Enjoy your road building bro.
Real progression cannot come with Tribal Religious societies which is exactly what we are. Democracy in Kuwait is the rule of the mob where minorities are protected not by “democracy”, but by the ruling family, thank god. Full democracy would be the end of civil society (or whatever left of it) in Kuwait. I’d rather support a benevolent leader than rule of the religious conservative mob, which are the majority in Kuwait.
Also, I realize that progress is not about Music concerts. But usually all of these things carry each other, they’re related and they are never isolated from each other. You cannot have an advanced 1st world power innovative society where such backward tribal religious dogmas are the dominant factor.
How dumb of you to think that hosting music concerts makes a country non backward!
Kuwait is the only country in the region that is most likely to prevail. It is the only country in the region that has had the most success in becoming a democracy. These concerts and parties are just to cover all the problems that KSA has. Those who don’t see it are not from the region or do not have to live with the consequences.
They can bail anytime.
The people of Kuwait, most if not all, be it they enjoy parties, clubbing, drinking and what not, do not want these things at their door step.
I don’t speak for all kuwaits, im sure a lot want those things. But not the majority otherwise they would have it.
Same thing with Saudis, most don’t want these things but they can’t voice their opinion. At least in Kuwait they can.
So although it would be nice (in some people’s mind) to have concerts, clubs, drinking I do not believe that it is a bases or weather or not a country is backwards.
It’s almost very arrogant to say that.
As a seasoned gig goer of over thirty years attending and seeing some of the biggest gigs ever mounted, that is impressing even me…..very very stunning.
As an expat I don’t have any right to comment on Kuwait’s attitude. What Kuwait wants to do about everyday rules and regulations is purely down to Kuwait itself….
But I love and respect the country and living here. I can only imagine how successful something like this would be here.
At least we got comic book conventions 🤷🏻♂️
Apparently no one in the comments section read about the sexual harassments that was going on in this festival.
No surprise here, you probably had a fair amount of non civilized KSA who really don’t care about that music genre, yet had absolutely nothing else to do and had the money to buy a ticket to attend – probably highly motivated by easy access to female patrons.
As a side note, it is funny how woman in the west are searching out and requesting “safe spaces” and Saudi is flirting with mixed sex events. Interesting.
+ 2
I wonder if, as a gesture of the new liberalism and freedom in KSA, they gave a weekend pass to the jailed dissidents to attend and enjoy this seismic event.
In terms of the loosening restrictions on female attire, that and other “progressive” updates to restrictive laws (driving privileges and freedom of movement without male guardian) are likely in motion for motives other than liberal ideology – its’ true goal is probably to move females out of the domestic sphere and into the labour market.