I’m Covered In Neon Paint…And I Love It. See Life In Color At XL Center

I hardly knew what to expect walking into DAYGLOW at the XL Center…but I knew I would at least walk out looking like this.

So why does one voluntarily let people shoot paint at them? It’s fun of course!

DAYGLOW is known as “The world’s largest paint party” and it is stopping at the XL Center in Hartford April 19 and 20 so the Capitol City can experience “life in color” as their motto reads.

The crowds, donned in all white or neon…the highly suggested dress code…made their way down the stairs and lower level of the arena coated in plastic to the plush flooring below. My favorite quote of the night came before I even hit the first stair, “let’s get weird!”

Weird indeed…but in the most flattering of ways.

DAYGLOW had perfected the waiting game. The first two hours of the night actually have no paint involved at all. The DJ spins techno music and the crowd was dancing for almost all of the two hours solid. There’s a merchandise booth on the floor where you can purchase glow sticks, gloves with light-up fingers and shutter shade glasses…which turned out to be the best investment I made as the paint started to fly.

How I saw most of the night

After two hours the countdown to paint begins with 30 minutes. Here is a great photo captured by Andrea Wise, Special to the Courant

Once we got to the final seconds and you’re finally fully prepared, the stage just went black. The whole crowd was yelling “We want paint!” and all of the sudden without the clock my adrenaline was pumping because I had no idea when, all of the sudden, paint would start raining from the stage.

A short video clip plays then 5,4,3,2

Powerful guns shot neon paint into the crowd and from that point on, it’s every man for himself. The stand that once sold me my now coveted shutter shades was selling bottles of paint for $5 a pop and the crowd showers their fellow revelers in blue, green and pink neon rain, all while the DJ keeps the music going.

Weapon of choice

The doors had opened at 8 p.m. and by about 10:30 p.m. DAYGLOW is finally in full swing.

This was certainly unlike anything I had ever seen before, and that’s what they’re going for.

“This is a great event for the venue and the city. AEG prides itself on its ability to attract unique and diverse events to Hartford. This is just another example,” explained Tim Kemp, senior marketing manager at the XL Center.

To see more of DAYGLOW, click through our photo gallery. You can also experience it for yourself, however the second show is close to sold out.

If you find yourself intrigued by the colorful mystery that is DAYGLOW, and I have to say it was a heck of a good time, just make sure you wear some comfortable, sturdy shoes and pack a towel for your ride home.

Then come Saturday, you might also find yourself with a pretty interesting before and after