Electronic music loving hearts across India were broken when Avicii’s tour was cancelled due to his health issues this spring. With the Tiesto concert the weekend before, it was set to be an epic week in India’s dance music history.
But Christmas came early to India when the Ralph Lauren model, the man who was crowned best EDM artist at the AMAs, and the maestro of genres, performed a tripartite show this month. It was finally time to get psyched – veni, vidi, Avicii!
The Delhi edition of the Sunburn Arena with Avicii was held at Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida and it was an absolute crowd pleaser. Thousands poured in through the gates from the opening time itself to experience the wonder that Tim Bergling is. To accompany Avicii on his India tour was none other than DJ/producer Otto Knows, who is serendipitously Avicii’s Swedish native friend dating back to school. So it was only natural that he would be the best opener for Avicii.
As the crowd started to flock into the venue; Otto Knows took up the stage following a short set by NDS & Blue, who are among the rising stars in India. Otto played a marvellous one and a half hour set, dropping his signature hit remixes of Starlight by Don Diablo and Lies by Burns, along with some unreleased exclusive music as well. He kept the Delhi crowd on its feet for the whole time and finished off his set on a high note with a bootleg-mashup of Million Voices and Apologize bootleg, setting up the stage perfectly for the man who was going to come next.
Emerging from the unprecedented success of his album True, Avicii treated us to a whirlwind of explosions from the speakers and the stage. A two hour long set? Check. Play almost half originals? Check. Great connect with the audience? Check and check.
Sunburn pulled out all the stops for the world’s number three DJ, and with a humongous stage and astonishing visuals, the Sunburn Arena concert was a treat for both the eyes and the ears. Getting close to Avicii was near impossible, with crowds pressed close to one another, hands in the air with a reverential look in their eyes, wanting to get close to the God who took them to another level with his music. The set was breathtaking in the least, the visuals were unsurpassed in beauty, fluidity and aesthetics.
The massive turn out of thousands of people proved that Delhi knows its music! The venue was packed and almost bursting at the seams with an energy that was infectious. The crowd sang along to all the lyrics, giving even the speakers competition, and you couldn’t help but get swept up into the madness. Among the A-class production, pyrotechnics played a huge role in the magic of it all, and you knew that every time fire shot into the sky, so did everybody’s excitement. Waterworks, glittering confetti and smokestacks added to the vibe of one of Delhi’s best concerts of 2013.
This was the second time Avicii has graced the Indian audience with his magical sets, and the huge turnout proved that everyone had been waiting for his return anxiously. From a gig at Delhi nightclub LAP two years ago to a sold out concert tour across the nation this year, the Avicii concert was a testament to the rise of the electronic music phenomenon in India, and one of its most-loved artists as well. After the April disappointment, this concert more than made up for it!
The songs that truly made the experience unforgettable were his new releases, You Make Me and Dear Boy, and the only moment that everyone was silenced into quiet reverie was when the Swedish prodigy remixed Coldplay‘s new song for the Hunger Games, Atlas. Another epic moment was when wrapping up his brilliant set, he dropped the track that made the world fall in love with him, Levels, and played an acoustic version of Wake Me Up, which the crowd provided vocals to.
All three artists gave us highs and gave us lows, and those moments sent frissions through the audience. By the end of six-hour long festival, it was clear that the Swedes had owned the night. To relive the night that Delhi made some noise, be sure to check out the tracklist of their set and our photographic #instabang feature of the night.
Written By: Sarthak Singhal, Vedika Berry & Mallika Pal
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