Event: Politics Of Dancing 2 World Tour
Organizers: Bacardi Breezer & MixFM
Venue: La Voile Bleue (Rmayleh) - Lebanon
Date: Saturday the 23rd of July, 2005
We were expecting a great night, we weren't expecting the greatest night in the history of Lebanese clubbing.
Nothing describes success better than numbers:
7500 was the number of the night.
And not any 7500 people, but 7500 dedicated clubbers, eagerly awaiting "the return of the king" (all rights reserved to Lord Of The Rings) after his huge local success last year.
7500 hearts pounding with each drum beat hammered by the man of the hour.
7500 smiles drawn on music lovers' faces at each sweet Trance tracks pounded during the night.
15000 hands flying high in the beautiful summer air of south Lebanon at every emotional breakdown.
7500 dreams come true in 15000 historical seconds.
The Venue:
I arrived at the designated destination just as our own Amadeus had started his warm-up session. All the peeps wearing the TH shirt quickly gathered around the front stage and, as ever, were the first to start dancing (and as usually follows, the last to stop). The venue was outstanding: big dancefloor space, nice design, decent sound system (despite some minor technical errors that Johnny-boy was quick as ever to take care of, something he was rewarded for with a burger + add bacon), impressive light shows, and some really hot dancers in really tight clothes moving really sexy to the really great music played throughout the really unforgettable night.
The Warm-Up:
I have reviewed Amadeus' warm-up sets so much that I have simply run out of vocabulary to use, maybe Bilal can lend me a hand here? But the thing is, Amadeus seems to get even better time after time, which makes my reviewing job a lot easier! I believe I could safely say that this was the best warm-up I have ever heard from our beloved DJ, and I received some inside information that Mr. van Dyk thought the same as well! What made this warm-up so special is not just the track selection - for Amadeus has gotten us used to his refined taste - nor the mixing skills - he makes beatmatching and transitioning look as easy as eating a McDonald's Happy Meal - but actually the length of this particular set! Amadeus was given a full 3 hours this time, during which he exploited every moment to spin one quality tune after the other, synthesizing a harmonious blend of Progressive House and Progressive Trance, which is just what the thirsty clubbers (and that old dude that TRANCExual humped) needed to get in the right mood for the main act of the night. The crowd was going insane at some of the tracks, and at some points I was worried whether Amadeus will wear them out before Paul takes over the decks! But it seems I had little faith in the potential of Lebanese clubbers as the review will demonstrate in a while. I will not go through the tracklist as perhaps Amadeus himself can post a full one, but all in all, the warm-up can easily be given a 9/10!
The Man of the Night:
From 10:30 P.M. to 1:30 A.M., Amadeus was kind enough to grace us with a warm-up session to remember. But it was at 1:30 A.M. that the real shit began - Paul van Dyk made his second appearance to the Lebanese crowd and was greeted with twice the enthusiasm that he received last year. He climbed up the stage with a smile on his face, seeing the thousands of worshipers welcoming him beneath his feet, and he saluted us back with a great choice for an intro track: The Other Side. As soon as the first beat dropped the crowd went insane, bouncing non-stop like there was no tomorrow, shouting, smiling, flying, raving, spinning, jumping, simply enjoying this diving the way it was meant to be enjoyed - by just letting go! One thing is for certain: Paul van Dyk's set was significantly better than last year: it was a careful blend of Melodic, Uplifting, and Tech Trance, with a few houseish and technoish intersections from time to time. A 3 hour set that was simply irresistable to dance like madmen to, with our crowd (that I was really proud of last night) reacting differently to each style, and going clinically insane at every track that they recognized. It is safe to say that there were 7500 heads nodding at the first beat of the night, and the same exact number still nodding at the very last one. I had the chance to climb upwards, behind the DJ booth, and it was then that I was blessed to witness one of the most captivating scenes I have ever laid my eyes on: the entire venue bouncing a single simultaneous bounce at our beloved music, careless of their fatigue, careless of their sleepyness, careless of the late time, careless of all the worries in their life, careless of zooz's constant molesting of underaged schoolgirls, the entire venue was shaking thunderously to the magiK of one mastermind - Paul van Dyk. At 4:15 A.M. he ended his set with For An Angel, whose reaction is beyond any worldly interpretation, only to submit to the monstrous uproars of the crowd for an "encore" to which he submitted with another dancefloor killer: Crush. Thus ended a truly memorable night, one that we hope will recur in the very near future.
Summary:
One hell of a night, far more enjoyable than last year's gig, with an unmatched warm-up session from Amadeus, and a very decent set from PvD that merits a firm 9/10. The only disappointment of the night was not having our promised follow-up set, but then again we were already too worn out so it's no biggie... An unforgetabble experience that, I am sure, everyone who attended agrees with every word I said in this review (i.e. verbal torture session), and that will remain a lifetime regret to anyone who missed out. Not to mention that he who has not partied with the likes of Ziad and Samer does not know what a true party is! Oh, and did I mention that everyone who was wearing our www.TranceHits.com & Bacardi Breezer shirt was entitled to open bar? Thank you Bacardi for that!
TH peeps who made their presence:
AMADEUS
DIONYSOS
SamEr
electro-sam
TRANCExual
Surfbabe
pTq
janomeg
habib
tiestoforever
magikmuzik
Pibito
Misstress_A
DjWiSy
Cm_AmadeuS
Bleach
DJ Mido
Psychedelic Cowboy
DJ Fade
commando
hasneez
LZA
inspiration
hades
DJ_TRACID
Pathos
Johnny
Van
oudieus
Eak
tab1845
Reading...
-TRANCE/TRANCE/TRANCE
