A fantastic lineup of artists, insane production, and the best weekend one could ask for – there was much to take away from Comio EVC, Mumbai!
If you’ve got a smile on your face, a jubilant rhythm in everything that you do, in spite of it being a lousy Monday, chances are that you, like us, witnessed the best weekend ever at Comio EVC, Mumbai! Held on the weekend of 16-17th December at NESCO Center in Mumbai, Comio EVC left us enchanted for a long time to come!
Featuring main headliners, Dutch EDM legend, Armin Van Buuren (Day 1), and the soulful, Arijit Singh (Day 2), along with a phenomenal roster of supporting acts, Comio EVC had us grooving from start to finish, and how!
Day 1 had Armin Van Buuren headlining on the “Electronic Family stage”, supported by Markus Schulz, MaRLo, Ruben De Ronde, Rodg, Get Massive and Snowflakes. Day 2 saw Bolly heartthrob, Arijit Singh, headline what was called the “Cosmos Stage” supported by Robin Schulz, NUCLEYA, DJ Chetas, Shirley Setia, Hugel, Almost Famous, and The Unknown.
Stepping into Comio EVC, 2017
Say we were really excited if you want because the Sherp was well and there at the venue at 2:30 pm, a half hour before the festival opened with Snowflakes playing the first set. We didn’t mind the early arrival as it gave us ample time to ogle at the setup, production, venue arrangements, art installations, and the well curated food court at Comio EVC.
The venue, NESCO Center in Goregaon, Mumbai, is located off the expressway and traffic was well regulated leading up to the venue which ensured that entering Comio EVC wasn’t a hassle. Once at the venue, there was ample parking space closely located to the box office.
The box office had a number of counters, and the entry to the venue was decently regulated with everyone having to pass through a security check to make it into the venue. Early arrivals (us!) were ensured quick entry as the crowd slowly trickled in on Day 1.
Although saddened that EVC shifted base from Aamby Valley this year, we were pleasantly delighted with the way Comio EVC outshone expectations, and still held up its standard in terms of producing a world-class lineup, and one of the best indoor productions that we’ve seen.
Day 1 Performance Highlights
The inaugural day of Comio EVC, Mumbai – 2017, had the crowd entranced with a heavy techno and trance based sound-set played at the Electronic Family Stage, by some of the greatest in the scene right now. Armin Van Buuren was the headliner on Day 1 and there were a good number of his fans waiting for the legend right from the start of Day 1. Indian trance artist, Snowflakes, opened Day 1 and had the crowd pumped with energy from the get go.
As the afternoon progressed, Get Massive took over the console to recreate the Anjuna musical vibes. Armada prodigies Ruben De Ronde and Rodg delivered a massive back to back set that had us and the crowd really digging the vibe inside that big hall at NESCO Centre, Mumbai.
MaRLo made sure that the night resonated with the good vibes of Comio EVC and some fantastic music. He fluctuated between fast-paced techno-trance and some slow tempo tracks as well. There was a loud roar as trance legend, Markus Schulz came on to perform! True to his musical stature, Markus Schulz delivered a set that had us going through a range of emotions, and had us amped throughout his set, especially when he dropped remixes of “Fireflies” and “Love Song“.
Finally, the big one that everyone was really waiting for – Armin Van Buuren! The Dutch trance legend was welcomed to a ear-shattering reception by the crowd. Armin kicked off his set with ASOT 850 anthem, “Be In The Moment”, which instantly had the crowd jumping and progressed with some classic hits as the night went on. Day 1 came to a close with Armin ending his set with a personal address to the Mumbai crowd and bidding adieu until next time.
Devraj Sanyal, MD & CEO, Universal Music Group India & South Asia shared, “The first day of the multi genre music concert in the largest indoor venue in Bombay has officially been one of the best nights EVC has hosted. Armin Van Buuren has knocked it out of the park with his set & I think all his fans are going to remember this night for a long time. We’re ecstatic with the response & can’t wait for a smashing second day.”
Shoven Shah, Founder, EVC & Director Twisted Entertainment (M) Pvt Ltd said, “Armin Van Buuren has been a personal favorite for many years now & watching him perform live at EVC is a dream come true. The Electronic Family Stage really brought together all the Trance music fans in our region & I couldn’t be happier. Looking forward to an incredible Day 2 now.”
Day 2 Performance Highlights
Day 1 had the tribe super excited for Day 2 as well. Featuring a mix of electronic artists and Bollywood acts, Day 2 began with The Unknown and Almost Famous instantly hitting it off with the crowd. Shirley Setia had the crowd swooning to her tunes as she came in to perform next. Hugel and Robin Schulz had Comio EVC resonating with some great house and techno sounds.
Indian Bass Raja, NUCLEYA, knew just how to keep the party going as he delivered a truly memorable performance. The insane visuals, Bollywood movie snippets, endless streamers and smoke blasts made his performance one of the most visually captivating.
Following up after NUCLEYA, main act Arijit Singh finally came on to address his fans and jump right into his performance with a phenomenal set list that had us crooning to some of our favourite songs well into the night. His performance of the 90’s Sufi rock hit, Sayonee by Junoon, had us in a nostalgic mood and singing along.
The infamous DJ Chetas ended the night with some popular Bollywood club hits and some of his renowned mashups that perfectly captured the nostalgic of the two phenomenal days at Comio EVC, 2017, and had the crowd leaving the place with a dozen memories. He also played his latest release “Jab Koi Baat” featuring Shirley Setia and Atif Aslam, which had everyone singing along as well.
On her performance at Comio EVC this year, Shirley Setia shares, “ This is my second year performing at EVC and I had an amazing time. It was very different from last year but equally amazing, and probably even better, an epic year. I think EVC was probably one of my first performances in India and this year was probably one of the best years of my life. I hope that people keep loving me as they do and I keep doing more hard work to keep giving the love back to them and I will try my best honestly. I had an amazing time at EVC, thank you so much for loving me and supporting me like you do, I love you guys.”
Venue Setup/Production
Comio EVC, Mumbai took place indoors at NESCO Center in Goregaon. Stepping into the venue we were greeted to a massive hall with the most eye-catching sight being the massive stage at the end of the hall. As the performances kicked in, the sound systems were put to the test and impressed right away! The VVIP Lounge, Promoter Lounge and GA Area had seamless access to alcohol and food. To purchase alcohol it was mandatory to get an LDA band upon age verification at the box office. Alcohol and food could be purchased upon exchange of separate coupons for both.
The food court had a wide selection of food across varied cuisines and was the perfect stop to re-energize ourselves and get a scrumptious bite between sets. At the GA zone there were two bars that enabled cluster-free purchase of alcohol for all. Water was distributed freely at designated spots in the venue.
People were ensured a fun time at Comio EVC with the Comio photo booth, Pepsi photo booth and the Instagram photo zone as well. It was the place to go to ensure your Comio EVC excitement was perfectly captured.
Additionally, there were a number of charging points placed in the venue where as many as 20 people could charge their phones at a time at each spot. This ensured that we didn’t have to face any hassle while leaving the festival and kept us powered through the event to capture some memorable moments.
Separate washrooms for males and females ensured we didn’t have to wait in line, and the well maintained conditions kept it hygienic. Adequate bins were placed at the food court and near the bars to dispose of anything. There were a number of cleaners as well who ensured that there was no litter lying around.
Devraj Sanyal, MD & CEO of Universal Music Group, India & South Asia said– “We’ve just witnessed one of the finest multi genre concerts the city has seen. Bringing Arijit Singh back to the EVC stage for an encore performance was the best decision we have made. We saw a mammoth crowd descending to our venue to watch a mix of Bollywood & Electronic music today & we couldn’t be happier with the response.”
Shoven Shah- Founder, EVC & Director, Twisted Entertainment (M) shares, “We’re elated that our debut 2-Day Multi genre concert in Mumbai was so well received. Thrilled that so many fans came out & supported us this weekend. The response has been outstanding for this edition of EVC.”
All in all, Comio EVC succeeded in giving us and their audience a memorable festival edition, and we can’t help but eagerly await next time! The Sherp rates Comio EVC, Mumbai, 9/10! 🙂
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