First, there were dancers dressed like strippers from the Roman Praetorian Guard. They strutted in imposing plumage and armor -- but little else -- while flames licked the Kinetic Field stage at the Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
Then, on a riser ascending from the deep center of the stage, the Dutch trance DJ Armin Van Buuren rose, arms extended like an emperor to greet his faithful. It was pretty absurd, but it was some real pageantry from this all-conquering music scene.
Finally, something happened onstage to rival the scene in the crowd at EDC.