Imagine entering a world where everyone you meet is your family. This is a world where sound and color surrounds everything in the room, where only the burning passion of music and lights fill dance hall.

This is the kind of energy present at an Above & Beyond show, and it is truly unforgettable. Long time friends Tony McGuinness and Paavo Siljamäki have perfected the art of transforming raw, pulsing emotion, into an unforgettable set. Lovers of Above & Beyond and their label, Anjunabeats, call themselves and everyone along with them, ‘Anjuna Family’.

I was fortunate enough to have the incredible opportunity to not only attend my first Above & Beyond concert, but also spend half the day with ‘Anjuna Family’. The outcome was one of the most unforgettable, spontaneous, and joyous experiences I’ve had with strangers in my life.

It was incredible to see the kindness of strangers amplified through something as simple as a common interest of a trance music group. Being new to the Anjunabeats scene, I didn’t know what to expect as I drove to Houston a foggy Saturday not long ago. What resulted was a fun adventure of meeting lifelong fans of Above & Beyond, as well as people who were also going to their first ever show. Through interacting and experiencing the lives of these people, one thing was clear: there was an abundance of love and acceptance in this group.

No other music group I could think of brought together so many joyous and kind individuals as Above & Beyond and the entire Anjuna Family. If there were to be a singular moment in time that encapsulated this wild spirit, it would have to be the moment where a dozen of us tried to fit into a downtown AmTrak train as it was departing. All dressed up in our rave-gear and flags and glitter. It was a moment of pure spontaneity and joy.

The concert itself was no exception. It was truly unforgettable.

It started shortly after my arrival, when a tragedy fell on me. I had realized I had not purchased floor tickets, but instead balcony tickets for the show. Which means I would not be spending the show with the people I had just made bracelets with, shared a meal with, and almost got lost on a train with. What could have been a ruined night by not spending the concert with all the amazing people I just meet, I quickly was greeted by yet another five members of the Anjuna Family welcoming me with literal open arms as I sat at the top of the balcony sulking. These people were still apart of the same family. And I was invited.

It was at this point I knew that this event was more than just a concert for lovers of trance music.

It was a chance to be with your family.

And beyond all else, life is truly made up of small moments like this.