2016:“Namaste”
2023:“Kemon acho?”
Sunburn Arena with Martin Garrix, with t2 as print partner, had a flying start as the world’s #1 DJ spoke in Bengali when he took the console at 8pm on March 10, after briefly meeting some of his fans backstage. Dressed in black from head to toe, Garrix was clearly happy to be back in the city after his debut in 2016 at the same venue.
Sporting a smile that over the years has gone from cute to hot, he enthralled a packed venue with his two-hour set, which was highly-driven mostly by his own compositions.
There are artistes who play good music and then, there is Garrix, who reads the mind of the crowd and plays accordingly. He can connect with the crowd. It’s almost like he knows the pulse of his fans.
From jumping, dancing to flashing his fave heart sign, Garrix was that spell of rain that every EDM fan had waited for in the city after the pandemic.
TT felt alive and kicking, dancing to the beats of 26- year-old Garrix.Thank you, Martin!
ORGANISER SPEAK:
“It was truly a spectacle to see 10,000-plus souls connect to the music and move in unison as Martin Garrix enthralled and enchanted us. The show we presented delivered on all counts. The quality of sound, lights, special effects and breathtaking fireworks towards the end made it a memorable evening. As a performer and artiste, Martin is a genius; he connects with you instantly and takes you on a journey through his music, evoking emotions. At the end, we hope as organisers we left our audience with a once-in-a-lifetime experience and Martin Garrix in their hearts!” said Anshul Chauhan (right) and Dhruv Todi, owners of Rhythmbox.
OTHER ACTS
The event opened with performances by DJs Roop and Skytec but later in the evening, city lad DJ Arcane took the stage to pump up the crowd. He played some of his originals, like Shockwaves, Fred Again — Turn on the Lights (Anyma remix), Maasai Dancers (Tomy Wahl remix) and Falling in Love (Modapit).
Justin Mylo, who took the console around 6.50pm, opened for Martin Garrix. His set included tracks like Before The Dawn, My Humps and I Need Your Love. He later joined Garrix on stage while the Dutch DJ played Burn Out, which was originally by Martin and Mylo, featuring Dewain Whitmore.
HE PLAYED...
So Far Away
Animals
High on Life
Starlight
Used To Love
Higher Ground
Scared to be Lonely
In The Name of Love
Someone You Love
No Sleep
Dragon
If We’ll Ever Be Remembered
Byte
Waiting for Love
Fix You
MOODS OF MARTIN
The world’s number one DJ entered Aquatica Lawns at 7.48pm. Wearing a black hoodie and sporting that cute smile, Garrix did a namaste to everyone.
“Kolkata how are you feeling? I missed you guys so much... and let me see those hands up in the air; put them up, put them up!” said the Dutch DJ to a massive crowd at Aquatica.
Garrix got on top of the console as he belted out his big 2014 hit Animals. The crowd went wild hearing the signature tune of the track.
MAGIC MOMENTS
Music aside, the concert scored big on visuals and theatrics, especially the fireworks that formed an ‘X’ (part of Garrix’s logo) and the crackers that were burst in the last 10 minutes of the show.
Cameras and flashlights came out when Garrix played Coldplay’s Fix You, making the ambience dreamy.
No concert is complete without getting on your friend’s/partner’s shoulders. We spotted this duo who certainly seemed to be having fun
Joyita Das arrived way before time to grab a place in front of her fave musician, Martin Garrix.
FAN SPEAK
(L-R) Rakshit Lunia, Viraj Harlalka, Vivaan Bhandari, Harshit Agarwal, Savar Somani, Shaurya Dugar, Kanav Agarwal, Shaurya Jhawar, Vanij Agarwal, Adrit Didwania and Nikunj Kedia, a bunch of high-school friends, had a memorable time. “The concert was a mind-blowing experience. It was a perfect combo of good music, good friends and good vibes. The firecrackers, lasers and confetti took the experience to the next level. It was a night to remember. We have been listening to Martin Garrix for the past few years and were so happy about his arrival in India. Listening to High On Life, In the Name Of Love live was wonderful,” they said.
“I attended the concert with my friends and all the Martin Garrix hype was worth it. Loved the concert,” said Ushoshi Sengupta.
“The experience was exciting and memorable. The atmosphere was electric. We enjoyed dancing and swaying through the entire concert. I went with my sister. This was the first concert she attended and it was amazing. We have been listening to Martin Garrix for four years now. He played High On Life and Summer Days, which are my favourites. It was a night to remember,” said Riya Lisa Ghosh (left), who enjoyed the concert with her sister Diya Sofiya Ghosh.
There was no stopping Subhamita Banerjee (right) from having fun. “This was an insane concert and Martin Garrix killed it with his music,” said the model while dancing.
(L-R) Sayan Mondal, Niloy Roy, Abhishek Mohajan and Abhishek Ramesh met at the Martin Garrix, India Tour concert and instantly became friends, sharing the same taste in music. Sayan said: “The experience of Martin Garrix’s show at Sunburn was fantabulous along with Justin Mylo and other artistes. A night which will be etched in my memory forever. I have been listening to him since 2014 after I heard his track Virus featuring Moti. It is the reason I fell in love with electronic dance music, and seeing him live was a dream come true. His High On Life happens to be my favourite track. We love you Martin Garrix and thank you for an amazing experience of a lifetime at Sunburn Arena Calcutta!”
(L-R) Pratyusha Das, with her friend Niladri Das and cousin Shaurish Dasgupta, chilled together. “Yesterday was very special for me and my cousin because it was our first concert. And watching Martin Garrix upfront was mesmerising. We love all of his songs but Don’t Look Down is very special to us” said Pratyusha.
“I’ve been attending Sunburn since I was a teenager and now I have the opportunity of experiencing this festival from behind the scenes, all thanks to Arcane, Rhythmbox and the entire Sunburn team. The energy of festivals is always invigorating and even more so when you’re witnessing it from backstage. I first heard Martin Garrix in 2014 when he released Animals. Though now I’m not as drawn to this kind of music as I was earlier, I spent a lot of my early teen years vibing to it. This time, for me, it was more about supporting my friends and feeling the incomparable festival rush as always,” said Sevina Kahlon.
STYLE CHECK
DJ Swasti Das had her concert fashion look on point. She opted for an all-denim look with denim shorts, a denim jacket and a black crop top accessorised with black ankle boots and bucket hat for the cool quotient.
Sakshi Singh gave us Coachella vibes as she turned up in feathered headgear, long boots and a little peach dress. She rounded off the look with a metallic shrug. “The whole concert was good enough to make me lose my voice and my mind. Martin played There For You, which literally made my day. Loved the song since day one,”she said.
Martin Garrix fan Faizal Ahmed cooled off in a sporty look, wearing white Chicago Bulls vest with skinny jeans and tan boots, comfy enough to dance long hours.
Friends Tulip Dutta (left) and Sanghamitra Bhattacharya were all for blending style with comfort. While Tulip looked sleek in a wine-red corset top with black pants which she paired with boots, Sanghamitra chose an easybreezy blue-and-white dress paired with sneakers.
Pictures: Pabitra Das