Commissioner dons motley ensemble, raves about festival

A mammoth musical event with supernova light shows, surreal stage sets and thunderous bass inspired a colorful tribute from a county commissioner.

Well, kind of colorful.

At Tuesday's Clark County Commission meeting, Commissioner Tom Collins wore a Hawaiian shirt, cowboy hat and sunglasses as he honored the Las Vegas Motor Speedway for hosting the Electric Daisy Carnival, a three-day electronic dance music extravaganza.

Although he wouldn't be mistaken for a kandi kid -- a raver who dispenses beads and baubles -- he stood out at the commission meeting. And the speedway is in his district.

Electric Daisy drew an estimated 250,000 people and led to relatively few arrests and medical calls, despite the triple-digit heat.

It was "a fabulous, successful event at the speedway with a bunch of young people," Collins said.

The festival-goers were polite, well-behaved and spent "a pile of money," quieting the naysayers who predicted the worst, Collins said.

Collins admitted he hadn't heard of a rave before. But he visited Electric Daisy and enjoyed the festive atmosphere.

Speedway officials are talking with Insomniac Events, the company that organizes the mega-festivals, about a multi-year contract.

Collins urged audience members to attend next year's event, his zeal drawing bemused smiles from fellow commissioners.

Contact reporter Scott Wyland at swyland@reviewjournal.com or 702-455-4519.