I don't live under a rock, I grew up. I went to real raves back in the early 90's. I don't know you can even call what you kids are going to raves.
500-1000 people partying till 7 in the morning at warehouses and other venues.
Multiple rooms of sound
Bottled water for $2, full sizes bottles. Also openly available taps where water is free.
Fire performances, like on the scale of a 9 person fire circus in the middle of a warehouse. Choreographed fire performances. Fetish preformances in the dubstep room (to scare away the brostep people).
Two beautiful women up on top of a speaker shaking ass to darkpsy while 700 people below them are going crazy.
People go to the kind of parties we have here and unless they are the "drugs r bad" kind of people, everyone we introduce to this scene loves it. Its the most fun thing most of these people have ever done. They thank us for introducing them to this culture.
There was a "Blood Ritual" with a promoter doing a performance of theatrically stabbing and covering topless women in blood in the main room completely under strobe light.
A couple had sex in the main room in the open vicinity of 800 people.
Another person got naked and was beating off furiously while being covered in whipped cream. Disturbing? A little, but who am I to tell others what to do with their own lives?
And this was my Halloween. Do these parties cross lines? Maybe a little, but i am ok with that because i hate how "normal" the club scene and all the other parties are...
To this date, i have been in the scene for 2 years now, and i have not seen a single violent fight. We all know, love, and respect each other at least enough to get along for the night. Its a place where you can be as weird as you want to be and no one will judge you for it. Its happy, social, loving, and accepting.