NEWS
EVENTS
TIËSTO AND CALVIN HARRIS TOUR: GREATER THAN.. EVERYTHING!
House | Monday 13th January 2014 | Aimée
The anticipation roared through the crowds of eager electronica enthusiasts awaiting the most talked about collaboration EVER to hit the capitals music scene. Excitement was in the air, queues of people stormed through the doors of Earls Court, and adrenaline started pumping as the sound system began to boom through the warehouse interior of what felt like an underground super rave.
Dutch DJ Tiësto, master of trance, joined forces with EDM’s leading legend Calvin Harris for what I could only describe as the greatest night of my life, that didn’t involve Amsterdam’s finest patisseries, a hysterically paranoid sibling and Madam Ling Ling- my friends new found alias after a trip to the red light district. As far as defining moments go, this was definitely up there with the memorable.
You can’t start your night without the three essentials; a few thousand calories to line your stomach, a row of jager bombs the length of the bar and last but most importantly a greater than Tiësto and Calvin Harris tour t-shirt – after all nothing says groupie more than a purchased piece of merchandise. Not even a bandaged post-surgery toe was going to stop me missing an evening screaming in order to catch eye contact with the handsome Scotsman. With the checklist well and truly underway, and Pete Tong smashing through his set, the bar seemed like the logical option before entering the world of wild head bopping, hair whipping and fist pumping like a member of the Jersey Shore cast on ecstasy.
With the sweaty mob of euphoric junkies all geared up for the maximal crazy, we pushed our way through the crowd to secure a perimeter to enable the foreseen antics in true raving style.
The nigh on 20,000 capacity fell silent as the pitch black arena lit up with a suspenseful array of flashing white lights before Calvin Harris appeared under the spotlight at the drop of electro house remix ‘Spectrum (say my name)’.
A sea of camera phones waved through the air whilst fire sparked and confetti blew up from the stage, and the crowd, me included, joined Florence [not literally] in an energetic yet comically terrible rendition of the chorus with all of what our lungs could master. After shouting “London I wanna hear you singing right now” Harris let his turntable talents speak for their selves with remixes of fat boy slims ‘Eat Sleep Rave’ and Florence and the Machine ‘You Got The Love’.
The epileptic showcase of strobe lighting and digital effects danced spectacularly through tune after tune of no1 hits from the vivacious DJ. The undoubtedly ‘Feel So Close’ and ‘We Found Love’ were the highlights of the set, with glow sticks swaying, a collective of pitchy singing and a unison motion of spirited movements.
Ending the night on an explosive high came the king of trance, Tiësto, with not only a string of electrifying bangers from his discography, but few remixed favourites from his personal collection to fire up his set. Launching his presence after a phenomenal performance from Calvin Harris, came ‘C’mon’ the fully charged collaborative track with Diplo, followed by a disposition of 2013’s favoured electronic numbers; Lana Del Ray ‘Summertime Sadness’, Martin Garrix ‘Animals’ and Breach ‘Jack’.
But the crowd truly succumbed to the messiah of trance when Tiësto hollered “Are you ready for the ultimate classic, show me what u got London” before dropping the global anthem that sent a euphoric wave of vibrations through the arena;‘Adagio For Strings’. What everyone had been waiting for.
Before sprinting to the cloakroom, with the curfew drawing in, the Dutchman pulled out a Killer’s classic to send us cheerfully on our way; belting out “Are we human or are we dancer?”
If you think a stamped on toe and overly touchy drug sleaze was going to knock this night off the top spot of music events I’ve attended then you’ve got another thing coming. The sensational pair of DJ’s and their masterful support acts in an ample arena of thunderous speakers and a display of spectacular lighting effects put on nothing short of a GREATER THAN tour that will long be remembered in the heart of the city. Lads, the pleasure was all ours!
