Hardwell, Kill The Buzz @ The Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne (03/10/2014)
Stepping into Sidney Myer Music Bowl with my friends by my side, there was a sense of excitement and energy in the silence that would be the calm before the bass heavy storm of the night: Hardwell!
We grabbed some ridiculously overpriced corn dogs and drinks and made our way to the front of the lawn, waiting to get our dance moves on for opener, Kill the Buzz. We were ready. Our minds, hips and hearts were ready to dance away to drop after drop that tonight’s entertainment was sure to bring. One hour later… Okay, so there’s been a long wait of nothing happening and more than half the venue is empty. Maybe we could’ve waited a bit longer before descending upon the Bowl but hey, better to be two hours early than five minutes late, right? |
At last, Kill the Buzz took to the stage and started off with a song that I didn’t know but I got right into it regardless because that is what the night called for after all. He dropped that unknown song into another unknown one which led into another mystery that drove into another unfamiliar one… This was pretty much his entire set. It was okay and I had no trouble getting into the swing of things but I wouldn’t have minded something I could sing along to or really make me move.
It was a good hour long set and he did an impressive job nevertheless of not falling into repetition of drops and songs which was good because it meant people would slowly build up their energy and adrenaline which would cause a domino effect on everyone else. So by about six thirty people were hooking up, a guy was on the ground in the recovery position and being tea-bagged by a friend (I hope). Yep, this was going to be a great night!
A small break before the evening painted the sky and I lost half my group of friends in the now big, swelling crowd. Not to worry, I had a few of my trusty EDM raver sidekicks with me and as the lights dimmed, and the intro to the world’s number one DJ’s set came across the screen, all my frets and worries disappeared. Before the man himself, Hardwell, jumped into view, we plunged ourselves into the masses and began the party of the year.
There was a certain presence that Hardwell holds about him when he’s doing his knob turning and cueing magic. Whether he has his arms outstretched for a sing a long or he’s lining up the next incredible bounce, he had an atmosphere that I nor anyone could really ignore.
He was clever enough to not rely solely on drop after drop, sometimes fading into a slower song to wet our taste buds and make us hungry for the real, proper sections to go crazy.
His song selection had some exceptional highs and some low points but when you play for three hours, you can’t just play hit after hit without running dry pretty quick. I am just honestly glad he played remixes of Zedd’s Clarity and Ariana Grande’s Break Free (which was “done” by Zedd). These two songs had my throat running red from singing and screaming and proves just how much I really love Zedd.
But tonight was Hardwell’s night and that was something he definitely showed. His own songs like Apollo and Dare You were the songs of the night. Not one person in attendance (security don’t count) stood still or silent. These tracks brought about an extreme sense of elation and ecstasy as they forced us to move and participate for every second they filled the air.
Most people say that EDM is far too repetitive. Melody, build up, drop, melody, build up, drop. And I agree. Lyrically, I have only learnt three things from EDM and that is: freedom is a long lonely road, tonight is our night and that one night stands are totally cool. I whole heatedly agree that EDM is repetitive. But if Hardwell proved anything tonight, it was that I fucking love this repetition and that there is a very good reason he is number one.
Matt Sievers
It was a good hour long set and he did an impressive job nevertheless of not falling into repetition of drops and songs which was good because it meant people would slowly build up their energy and adrenaline which would cause a domino effect on everyone else. So by about six thirty people were hooking up, a guy was on the ground in the recovery position and being tea-bagged by a friend (I hope). Yep, this was going to be a great night!
A small break before the evening painted the sky and I lost half my group of friends in the now big, swelling crowd. Not to worry, I had a few of my trusty EDM raver sidekicks with me and as the lights dimmed, and the intro to the world’s number one DJ’s set came across the screen, all my frets and worries disappeared. Before the man himself, Hardwell, jumped into view, we plunged ourselves into the masses and began the party of the year.
There was a certain presence that Hardwell holds about him when he’s doing his knob turning and cueing magic. Whether he has his arms outstretched for a sing a long or he’s lining up the next incredible bounce, he had an atmosphere that I nor anyone could really ignore.
He was clever enough to not rely solely on drop after drop, sometimes fading into a slower song to wet our taste buds and make us hungry for the real, proper sections to go crazy.
His song selection had some exceptional highs and some low points but when you play for three hours, you can’t just play hit after hit without running dry pretty quick. I am just honestly glad he played remixes of Zedd’s Clarity and Ariana Grande’s Break Free (which was “done” by Zedd). These two songs had my throat running red from singing and screaming and proves just how much I really love Zedd.
But tonight was Hardwell’s night and that was something he definitely showed. His own songs like Apollo and Dare You were the songs of the night. Not one person in attendance (security don’t count) stood still or silent. These tracks brought about an extreme sense of elation and ecstasy as they forced us to move and participate for every second they filled the air.
Most people say that EDM is far too repetitive. Melody, build up, drop, melody, build up, drop. And I agree. Lyrically, I have only learnt three things from EDM and that is: freedom is a long lonely road, tonight is our night and that one night stands are totally cool. I whole heatedly agree that EDM is repetitive. But if Hardwell proved anything tonight, it was that I fucking love this repetition and that there is a very good reason he is number one.
Matt Sievers