in·tense [adjective] acute, strong, or vehement, as sensations, feelings, or emotions.

Five time #1 DJ of the world, Armin van Buuren, has always been at the epicentre of pioneering ventures. He has undoubtedly been the one of the biggest influences on dance music across the world and has reached millions and united them through his music for nearly two decades. His latest album, ‘Intense’ has seen his fan base grow to exponential proportions, as he pushed his musical boundaries to ensure he followed his own principle of ‘never being a prisoner of your own style’.

In October last year, Armin announced that his iconic ‘Armin Only – Intense‘ tour will combine with the enchanting story-telling experience of Intense, and will travel to 35 destinations over the next year! Announcing only the first half, which included cities such as Kiev, Sofia, St. Petersburg, Minsk, Helsinki, New York, Chicago and many more, we were literally frozen with excitement (as we’re sure you were too) to find Mumbai second on that list! What added to the hysteria was that a second show in India was announced with Sunburn Arena with Armin van Buuren in Bangalore!

The show has promised a myriad of experiences besides a magical 5+ hour journey with Armin van Buuren, such as dancers, live acts, breathtaking visuals, acrobats and pyrotechnics, and is geared to be one of those unforgettable experiences for all the people attending and involved.

In an attempt to make transparent the incredible amount of hard work it takes to prepare for these events, it was announced early in December last year that a bi-weekly series called the ‘Armin Only – Intense’ Road Movies would cover all the highs and lows of preparation, taking fans and viewers through the various stages of each show, from preparation to show time.  While fans sometimes give Armin van Buuren a God-like status when it comes to the effect he has on them, this series shows a human side of the dance music connoisseur as he deals with every little detail along with his hardworking team.

The series has completed 3 episodes for the same and we decided to take a moment to recap each episode, as we gear up to welcome this awesome venture In India on January 24th at the Sunburn Arena at NSCI, Mumbai!

EPISODE 1: THE REHEARSALS

The first episode begins with Armin talking about announcing the venues and the tour details in a soon-to-begin press conference. After a short introductory video, Armin begins to explain the concept by saying, “The theme of the show is the start of a new life. I start the show, performing out of an abstract-staged womb. After which life becomes increasingly more intense”.

We then see show director Sander Reneman, producer Dennis de Bruin & theatre director Jos Thie explain how we’ll get to see the best of both worlds – theatre and dance. Describing the main challenge of being to bring it all together on one stage to curate one unforgettable experience.

The press conference takes place and we see a team of about 30 individuals getting into rehearsal mode as they prepare for the first show – the premier show at the Ziggo Dome at Netherlands. Alongside Bagga Bownz, Cindy Alma, Fiora Cutler, Trevor Guthrie, Lauren Evans, Richard Bedford, Laura Jansen and his brother Eller Van Buuren, the show also includes two trampolinists and four dancers.

We then see the team preparing various aspects of the show including the creative aspects of song pitches, cue points, entry and exit points and an overall co-ordination between Armin, the singers, the dancers and the sound and light team. It is clear from this episode that besides the concept of the show itself, the entire setting up of this event is an ‘Intense’ experience for the team as well as various aspects of making a great show come to light.

EPISODE 2: THE WORLD PREMIERE IN AMSTERDAM

The second episode gears up to the world premiere in Amsterdam as we see many last day nerves of team members tested. Singer Trevor Guthrie and the acrobats face some wardrobe issues as they seem unhappy with certain aspects, while Sander Reneman is seen in a heated debate with a technician regarding a technical issue.

Meanwhile, Laura Evans faces some technical issues a well as her click-tracks are misplaced, making it difficult for her to co-ordinate. We see her in an informal exchange of words with Armin as well, which is heart-warming to see. We also see both the van Buuren siblings rehearse for a specific track opening sequence, which is sure to put a smile across your face!

All in all, the episode deals with all the trials leading up to the show and how the love and passion to make the experience a unique one triumphs all the fears and misunderstandings to make the experience a special and unique one.

EPISODE 3: CHRISTMAS IN KIEV

The third episode covers the first international ‘Armin Only – Intense’ show in the city of Kiev, Ukraine. The show shows an array of challenges in terms of technical difficulties, and the general difficulties the team is bound to face as they travel to different countries where co-ordination becomes expectedly difficult.

Described humorously by Armin van Buuren as ‘trampoline drama in Kiev’, the major difficulty was obtaining safe and efficient trampolines for the performers. Besides the drama, there was some warm moments on the episode as well, as we saw some lucky fans with the chance to interact with Armin, gifting them special custom made gifts all before surprising him with a birthday cake!

The episode ends with glimpses of the show where the noise and energy was being praised by all the performers and Armin.

Having seen the episodes, it is inadvertently clear that while we may enjoy the experience from a spectator point of view, the enormous work behind the scenes is highly underrated. It’s great that all the people who work so tirelessly behind the scenes get a chance to come into the forefront through this series.

Furthermore, its delightful to see Armin van Buuren in this series as we uncover many layers of the man as even though he may be under tremendous pressure regarding the show, he always affords a smile and an inspiring speech for crew members as he insists on everyone making sure they have fun!

Great ready as ‘Armin Only’ gets set to hit India in less than 5 days and be there to support Armin & his crew’s hard work and witness his exhilarating 6 hour set live!

The next episode will feature director Jos Thie in a heart-to-heart about the show experience and talking about how special it is been for him. The episode will premiere in January 27th on the Armin Only YouTube Channel.