Raving isn’t just for millennials or Generation Z, as one 79-year-old man is on a mission to prove.
Retiree Alan Grofé has become a much-loved figure on the EDM festival scene, and DailyMail.com caught up with him at the Ultra Music Festival in Miami last March with his daughter and stepson.
Wearing one of his signature neon t-shirts emblazoned with his ‘Rave Pops’ moniker, there was nothing that could stop Grofé as he energetically busted out some moves amidst the sweaty crowd next to the drum and bass stage.
Thanks to his infectious energy, ‘Rave Pops’ has been featured in dozens of TikTok videos and a clip of him at the 2016 Sunset Music Festival in Tampa went viral.
Back in the less manic confines of his Florida home, the grandfather of five, who has attended 45 raves to date, says raves have taught him that “you’re never too old to do something you love.”
Retiree Alan Grofé has become a much-loved figure on the electronic music festival scene, and DailyMail.com caught up with him at Miami’s Ultra Music Festival in March this year.
The dancer is often seen wearing one of his distinctive neon t-shirts emblazoned with his nickname ‘Rave Pops’.
Grofé was first introduced to electronic music by his DJ son, Gavin, in 1995. Detailing the chain of events, he says: ‘I was in the basement playing drum and bass. I was totally amazed by it.’
The grandfather of five says raving has taught him that ‘you’re never too old to do something you love!’
The former technology and healthcare entrepreneur continues: ‘I had the assumption that my young fellow ravers would never accept or respect me.
“I have learned from others that by simply being yourself, with openness, approachability and a happy demeanor, you can win their hearts and minds.”
Grofé was first introduced to electronic music by his son DJ Gavin in 1995.
Detailing the chain of events, the California native says, “He was in the basement playing drum and bass and I was totally amazed by it.
“It took me two more years to cajole him into letting me go to a rave with him in 1997.
—That was in Washington, DC, at a big club called the Capital Ballroom. It’s quite a magnificent building dating back to 1924 and had different rooms for house, trance, drum and base and hip hop.’
At that first rave experience, Grofé said she made sure to get behind the best dancers who were “by far, mostly women,” and learned to dance the different styles of music.
As a child he had been in a ballroom dancing group, so he had a good sense of rhythm and from that first meeting he was hooked.
As a child Grofé had been in a ballroom dancing group, so he had a good sense of rhythm and from that first meeting he was hooked.
In 1999, Grofé says he had one of his most memorable clubbing experiences when he went to see Sasha, John Digweed and Paul Van Dyk perform at the now-defunct Twilo nightclub in New York, where his daughter Paige worked at the time.
As far as festivals go, Grofé says he loved the long-running Starscape electronic dance event at Fort Armistead Park in Baltimore.
He recalled: “I attended Moonrise, which later morphed into Starscape Festival, for nine consecutive years and then outdoor festivals were virtually unheard of.
“Many festivals later, it’s still the one that’s remembered.”
Although his 80th birthday is just around the corner and his 55th wedding anniversary is just around the corner, Grofé, who is also an avid runner, has no plans to slow down his dance antics.
For those considering the ‘rave world’, Grofé says it’s a must-do
The cheerful septuagenarian photographed with his daughter Paige
When asked what his dream rave would be, the cheerful septuagenarian replies: “Ahh, what a question!” A three-day festival on the beach in Bali.
‘It would be with three or four stages spread throughout that wonderful environment and several of them covered with a completely danceable surface, replicating the wonderful wooden floor of the Capital Ballroom mentioned above.
‘It would have state-of-the-art sound and visuals so that, among the artists, my favorite DJ, Eric Prydz, could work his magic.’
For those considering the “rave world,” Grofé says it’s a must-do.
Explaining what’s special about EDM culture, he concludes: “It’s a combination of the communal nature of the experience, with so many like-minded people of all ages enjoying a wide variety of uplifting EDM music, and the sheer joy and physical sensation.” Excitement of dancing non-stop as if no one was watching!
‘Although it’s not used much anymore, the opening track that set the stage for everything was “PLUR” – Peace, Love, Unity and Respect – which I still practice to this day.
‘I love when young people come up to me and tell me they want to be like me when they grow up. My answer is that they have my permission.
“Regardless of your age, go and let the good vibes and music invade you.”
