Armin would transition into the next song, Another You. Mr. Probz, who is featured on the track, would come on stage to sing its original version. When Mark Sixma‘s festival remix of the song dropped, it was euphoria, as the lights and smoke cannons danced above the energetic crowd. At the end of that big drop, Armin would be left alone on stage- aside from dancers, smoke and mirrors that is- to pump the crowd with his trademark onslaught of progressive trance.
“Just Looking For Another You”. Armin and Mr. Probz (Photo: Stanley Sutton/DMNW)
At key moments, he dialed things back down for more guest stars; Cimo Frankel coming out for Strong Ones and Angel Taylor for Make It Right rolled fairly naturally into the set. Bullysongs shined bright on Freefall and Caught In the Slipstream. And Betsie Larkin? Between her voice and the angelic dress she wore, I was in love.
Kensington, the Dutch band who feature on Heading Up High, injected the show with some rock and roll, making multiple appearances throughout the night. It was interesting to see Armin add a trance twist to Kensington‘s smash hits All For Nothing and Streets, while guitars and drums played in the background. Having been to many Armin festival and club shows, I had never seen him collaborate on-stage with a rock ensemble. It was different. It worked for me, personally, as Kensington‘s lead vocalist, Eloi Youssef, sang with so much emotion, I couldn’t stop applauding. I had become a fan of the band that night and when I got back to the hotel, one of the first things I did was log on to Spotify and listened to some of their music! Definitely a fan now.
For some die-hard trance fans though, it could be head scratching: to go from trance, to rock, then back to trance. The crowd was quiet during most Kensington segments, only to come back to life when big drops were delivered. Armin, over the years, has demonstrated an ability to change his style and adapt to the times. His moments with Kensington showed he isn’t afraid to step outside trance’s boundaries and take risks, even during a live show.
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