No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeTopicsArts and CultureLife in Color is surreal dreamscape soaked in paint

Life in Color is surreal dreamscape soaked in paint

“This is so crazy!” exclaimed one concertgoer, a couple of hours after the sun had set. It was Saturday evening, the Life in Color concert was in full swing, and truly, it was a little crazy: Ten thousand people, mostly young and Tico, writhed and gyrated in a giant mass. They leapt up and down, rolled on the brick pavement, and danced in circles of friends. House music throbbed from the enormous stage as dizzying videos were projected on its central screen. Many had already streaked their exposed skin with neon paint, so that the black lights would illuminate the patterns like phosphorescent tattoos. Some whirled hula hoops, others spun lighted balls on strings. Some chicas mounted their boyfriends′ shoulders and stayed aloft for hours, punching the air with their fists.

Robert Isenberg/The Tico Times
Robert Isenberg/The Tico Times

But for such a large and youthful crowd, the partiers at Life in Color were remarkably well behaved. Yes, there were obviously thousands of people knocking back Heineken cans and Smirnoff cocktails, and pot smoke gusted every few minutes, but the Pedregal Events Center in San Antonio de Belén was an ocean of smiles. Groups of guys crowded around buskers dressed as zombies and unicorns. BFFs took selfies directly in front of the stage. The good will was as palpable as the general inebriation.

Robert Isenberg/The Tico Times
Robert Isenberg/The Tico Times

By design, the craziest part was Life in Color’s primary gimmick: explosions of paint. The touring event touts itself as “The World’s Largest Paint Party.” (Although one struggles to imagine what the competition is). Life in Color’s denouement comes when multihued geysers gush across the audience. Some liken it to the Holi Festival of Colour. Some might call it a hallucinogenic, space-age bukkake experiment. Whatever your feelings about spattering colored, non-toxic paint all over a multitude of 20-somethings in white T-shirts, the crowd seemed to love it. The bursts didn’t last long, but they sent a tidal wave of people away from the stage, screaming and laughing, as they sought free towels to wipe themselves off.

Robert Isenberg/The Tico Times
Robert Isenberg/The Tico Times

Originally founded in the United States in 2006 as Dayglow, the Life in Color concert has toured all over the world, showcasing a variety of international electronica artists. Life in Color had performed as closely as Nicaragua, but never before in Costa Rica. Judging from the audience, the event will probably have a sequel.

Robert Isenberg/The Tico Times
Robert Isenberg/The Tico Times

Trending Now

Costa Rica Tops Latin America in Attracting Foreign Millionaires

Costa Rica is a country that attracts millionaires. Projections indicate that by the end of 2025, a total of 350 foreign millionaires will have...

Massive Cocaine Seizure at Costa Rica’s Moín Terminal Targets UK

Costa Rican police intercepted 810 kilograms of cocaine hidden in a banana shipment at the Moín Container Terminal in Limón headed for the United...

Chiquita Executives Convicted in Colombia for Financing Death Squads

Colombian justice on Wednesday sentenced seven former executives of the multinational banana company Chiquita Brands to more than 11 years in prison and a...

Panama Farmer Receives Land Title After 60-Year Wait at Age 109

A 109-year-old Panamanian farmer has received the land title for the property where he lives and works—six decades after first requesting it from the...

Keylor Navas Leads Pumas to Victory in His Liga MX Debut

Keylor Navas kicked off his Mexican league journey with Pumas UNAM in style, leading the team to a 2–0 win over Querétaro at Estadio...

A Closer Look at the Elusive Purple Gallinule in Costa Rica

Quick! Think of a purple bird! It’s a little difficult, right? I searched my brain and came up with a purple martin. A small...
spot_img
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica