By Spencer Osberg
Special to The Daily Star
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
BEIRUT: "TI-ES-TO ... TI-ES-TO," roared the sweating crowd. After almost a decade of waiting Beirut's dance music fans finally had a chance to experience the world's so-called "number one DJ," Dutch mix master Tiesto, at the Beirut Forum on Saturday night - all 15,000 of them.
In the biggest and most hyped concert of the year - promotion for the event had monopolized the nation's advertising airwaves and billboards for weeks - the crowd seemed to be competing for the "Who loves Tiesto most" award.
"TI-ES-TO ... TI-ES-TO ..."
The doors had opened shortly before 10 p.m., with a mass of bodies crushed together as people struggled to make their way through the bottleneck that was the security check. Already they were screaming his name. It didn't seem to matter that there were three hours to go before the Dutchman took to the stage
When he finally at 1 a.m. the air filled with thunderous cheers and whistles as all hands reached for the sky as if he was descending from Heaven in a whirl of laser lights.
"TI-ES-TO ... TI-ES-TO ..."
Streams of fire shot from the stage and blinding white strobe lights caressed the blessed crowd; Tiesto had cometh.
The next four hours of house and trance music ebbed and flowed from echoing baselines curling around the pounding beats to euphoric sounds and angelic voices, while the crowd insensately cheered and whistled and chanted the name of their near god-like hero.
In every direction an ocean of sweating humanity danced liked waves with their hands in the air.
At 5 a.m., Tiesto ended his set the same way he does in each country he visits: climbing on top of the turntable podium emblazoned with his name and holding the Lebanese flag (also emblazoned with his name) aloft, as the crowd erupted. They only wished to be worthy of their idol. Not only did they love Tiesto, but Tiesto loved them too.
Link : www.dailystar.com.lb
