In an unexpected turn of events at the renowned Burning Man festival in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert, DJ Diplo and comedian Chris Rock caught themselves in torrential rains, leading to thousands of festivalgoers stranded due to impassable roads. Usually, the festival site is characterized by dry and dusty conditions, typical of its desert location.
However, heavy rain engulfed the area, resulting in mudslides that closed off exit routes. Attendees were advised to remain in place, conserve their food supplies, and await the lifting of flash flood warnings.
Determined to honor a performance commitment in Washington DC, Diplo, and Chris Rock were offered a helping hand from a kind-hearted fan with a truck capable of navigating the treacherous mud.
Diplo, whose real name is Thomas Wesley Pentz, shared the adventure on Instagram, expressing his gratitude to the fan who inadvertently found themselves prepared for this precise situation.
“A fan offered Chris Rock and I a ride out of Burning Man in the back of a pickup,” the 44-year-old DJ wrote on Instagram.
just walked 5 miles in the mud out of burning man with chris rock and a fan picked us up pic.twitter.com/0uxSXLHgY6
— diplo (@diplo) September 2, 2023
“I legit walked the side of the road for hours with my thumb out cuz I have a show in DC tonight and didn’t want to let yall down,” he added. “Shoutout to this guy for making the smart purchase of a truck, not knowing it was for this exact moment.”
After their initial escape, Diplo and Rock hitched another ride with “hippies with a van” to the nearest airport, a two-hour drive from the festival grounds. Despite the skepticism of some, Diplo remarked on the belief that saw them through their journey, ultimately fulfilling their commitment and reaching Washington DC just in time for the show.
“They didn’t believe we would walk six miles in the mud. No one believed we would get to DC for the show tonight,” Diplo wrote in another post. “But God did.”
The unfortunate flooding not only stranded festival attendees but also caused difficulties for essential services.
