When “the world’s greatest DJ” descended upon Mumbai, the city shook with the thunderous screams of over 10000 hardcore EDM fans.
On the 29th of March, 2013 the lucky people of Mumbai got a chance to rave to the breath-taking sounds of EDM God & legend – Tijs Michiel Verwest or Tiesto,as he is reverently called by fans and colleagues.
IN THE BEGINING
Stationed within the safety of our Festival Sherpa Photo Hut we witnessed the mega-event, held at the Sunburn Arena in a corner of the Mahalxmi Race Course, get set into motion with a bass-loaded opening set by DJ Willy, who got the audience that had gathered, on their feet and into the groove. They were followed by 17-year-old EDM prodigy DJ Shaan who got the crowd rocking with his signature upbeat funk, house and club music. And finally Rishab Joshi from Lost Stories treated the crowd that had packed the venue to its seams with an inch perfect warm up set that had everyone charged up and ready for the man of the moment. The whole time being guided through this wonderful experience
THE VENUE
The Mahalaxmi Race Course has become ‘THE’ venue in Mumbai for any and all outdoor shows, with artists like Swedish House Mafia, Norah Jones, Armin van Buuren, and now Tiesto gracing its holy grounds.
But this time we were in for a surprise. For reasons beyond anyone’s control, the super venue was cursed with a deadly combination of sand galore and mega-winds which covered all of us (even the inside of our humble Photo Hut) with a thick layer of dust.
And when we approached the bar to wash down all the dust we had swallowed, the line was almost endless.
But on the bright side, there was a good mix of food-stalls catering to almost every gastronomic craving. The VIP sections (at least from where we were standing) looked very well organized and the privileged few who took advantage of these raised enclosures looked visibly “HAPPY” with them.
All said and done, everyone was there for the music and not really the venue. And Tiesto did a great job at making all of us forget about any worries or issues we may have had.
AND THEN HE OWNED THE NIGHT
At around 8 PM the lights dimmed down and the venue went silent, and out of the darkness Tiesto emerged onto the stage. All of a sudden we saw thousands of people from all over the Arena stop whatever they were doing and run towards the stage in an attempt to capture the best vantage point from where they could listen, dance and see the Dutch Master do what he does best.
To say his set was EPIC would be an understatement; he opened with an original mix of ‘Chasing Summers’ which was tastefully interlaced with a remix of the same track by Quintino and R3hab. This upbeat take-off was followed by Hardwell’s mash-up of ‘We Own The Night’ by Wolfgang Gartner & Tiesto and ‘Breaking Up’ by Chuckie & Promise Land, which were followed by mind blowing his remixes of ‘Clarity’ by Zedd, ‘Can’t Stop Me Now‘ by Afrojack, ‘Carried Away’ by Passion Pit and many more.
We also got a glimpse of some classic Tiesto, which the crowd very willingly soaked-in with their eyes closed and arms high in the air. Everyone was transported to a world of euphoria with tunes like ‘Love Comes Again’, ‘Lethal Industry’, ‘C’mon’ and of course ‘Adagio For Strings’, during which all of us stood awestruck and covered in goosebumps.
Our ears were also treated to the sounds of his brand new single ‘United’ which he made with Quntino & Alvaro, and was the anthem for Ultra Music Festival 2013. Tiesto also played Carnage Festival Trap Remix of ‘Spaceman’ by Hardwell and ‘Rage‘ by Deniz Koyu which made the crowd go completely berserk.
After playing for two hours and mesmerizing the crowd he closed his set on a high with his remix of ‘Kernkraft 400′ by Zombie Nation and (No prizes for guessing) MAXIMAL CRAZY!
Even we couldn’t control our excitement and kept taking turns to go and join the party-parade.
The amazing set was accompanied by one of Mumbai’s a massive LED screen in the background that was put through its paces, projecting visuals to go along with Tiesto’s two hour long performance.
AND FINALLY…
At around 10, when the sound died down and the dust (and there was a lot) settled, the hordes of fans left the venue almost hypnotized by what they had just experienced, waiting and planning for their next BIG experience.
Until next time,
En-Counter Culture!