For the longest time, Hyderabad has been a city full of genuine music lovers. Being aware of all the concerts and festivals that take place throughout in India, the average concertgoer had no option but to head to the closest city to witness his/her favourite artist. Do not be mistaken, this city has definitely had it’s fair share of gigs every week with brilliant international and local talent but when it came to that one top tier artist who everyone is listening to and coincidentally ends up doing a multi city tour in India (how common is that now?) everyone asked the same question – “Why isn’t this happening in Hyderabad?” (or like how they say in the city – Hyderabad mein kyun nahin hota?) To put it all in a nutshell, Hyderabad had always been just a ‘subtle’ part of the dance music phenomenon in India. Untill now.
The 22nd of November 2014 is a date no person in the city will forget. Sunburn Arena made it’s debut in Hyderabad with none other than the electronic heavyweight – Afrojack and man did Hyderabad not disappoint, we turned up 10.000 strong!
Sometime in June there was an article in one of the local newspapers which got the people talking. One which mentioned the newly formed government’s effort in getting the premier electronic music brand to the city and also of Sunburn’s intention to host an event of a larger magnitude in Hyderabad. After the initial excitement people couldn’t help but think – we knew that we had the infrastructure to accommodate a concert of this capacity; we knew that we had ample buyers/partners to invest into such an event but if only there was a doubt, it was about how the people would respond. Worst doubt ever.
People turned up and they turned up in full force! There seemed no end and just standing at the box office made you question – Where did all these people come from? In what was a fabulous display of coordinated efforts from everyone involved in the event, the first Sunburn Arena in Hyderabad was one of the best concert experiences ever!
The Stage
Sunburn’s production has always been stunning. LED Panels flanked in and around the artist along with an incredible lighting set-up ticks the standard check boxes for Sunburn’s stage set-up list but something about this particular Arena made everything seem bigger (always better!) Couple those with amazing visuals throughout the whole concert and you provide the ravers an experience they will never forget. Did I mention the crowd being subjected to confetti blasts, CO2 guns and an awesome display of pyro?
The Artists
An incredible line-up awaited the crowds as Hyderabad’s edition of Sunburn Arena kicked off nice and early with local DJ’s Shashank and Ajay Joseph warming up the arena with some lovely progressive house tunage. They gradually build up momentum, all in anticipation for the big boys to come out and play. Famed Dutch MC Zawdi kept the crowd alive throughout!
Dutch House Maestro and fellow Wall Recordings comrade – Apster followed up on the decks filling up the arena with snares and basslines like no tomorrow. His signature gritty sound coupled up with melodious synth’s spares no one and such was the case with the people present as well. Apster rightly dished out an array of his original productions such as the incredible Photobomb. His collaboration with Ariyan, Drum It made the crowd surge as it set the pace of the night to follow.
Next up on deck duties was the phenomenal Gregor Salto whose versatile productions were on full display and well dispersed throughout his whole set. Never hesitant on unleashing bass lines paired with heart-throbbing drums, Mr. Salto kept the people of Hyderabad on their feet non-stop.
The immense crowd (which had built up in full force by now) were subjected to an incredible groove courtesy Salto’s remix collab with Oliver Heldens of Can’t Stop Playing. The good vibes were just flowing throughout his set but he always made sure the crowd roared such as when he dropped his famed World Cup Anthem – Samba Do Mundo
And then came time for the main man for whom Hyderabad had gathered to witness – Afrojack. The ‘RAW’ star played a set of high tempo, melodious tunes pacing throughout with his singles from his incredible debut album – Forget The World. Brimming with acapellas ranging from tracks such as Guetta’s Titanium to his own collab with Chris Brown – As Your Friend and even Take Over Control, he mashed them up perfectly with various tunes including some from his own label, Wall Recordings.
The man of the moment didn’t disappoint the crowd when it came to all his signature tunes which the crowd were so eager to listen such as his huge collab with Martin Garrix, Turn Up The Speakers, an alternative version of Illuminate and even the intro of Bangduck and Pacha On Acid for those people who missed the classic Afrojack sound! A club edit of The Spark and Ten Feet Tall capped up the monstrous set which Hyderabad is still reeling about.
The Vibe
As much as you expect hoards of people raving to incredible tunes, an insane light-show and all the additional amenities we’ve come to expect from a Sunburn Arena – this particular vibe in Hyderabad was a different one.
How about a look at what Afrojack posted himself on Instagram:
Wooooow #Hyderabad 10.000 #Ateam strong!!! Thnx for another insane party #India #edm
The Arena became an occasion for the music lover to thrive in. Being the first event of it’s kind – the anticipation and eagerness of people was evident and present through the entire duration of the night. It fueled the excitement and energy which was felt amongst everyone present.
Apart from that every small aspect of the concert going experience just seemed a bit more at ease and flew past. Long queues seemed non-existent anywhere, traffic leading up to the roads of the venue seemed to just flow through, all of this adding onto bettering the concert going experience. A huge shoutout to the management team that has done a stellar job along with all the government authorities and non-official personnel. Finally when the whole event came to an end, a sense of accomplishment was felt amongst the people. The time has come for Hyderabad to not just be a subtle, but a major part of the dance music phenomenon of India.
Special thanks to Sunburn for letting us be part of this incredible first Arena in Hyderabad and here’s to more of them in a place which 3.5 million people call home!
Photos by: The Moneta and F-Electrikk
Review by: Ehsan Atiq
Edited by: Shule Puri
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