Sensation Miami! October 12, 2013
Sensation Miami
After hearing about Sensation making its first trip to the United States last year, I was immediately attracted to the show. After the inaugural show in New York City last year, Sensation expanded to Oakland, Las Vegas, Miami, and back to New York City. Still exhausted from covering the Bingo Players two days prior, I rallied and found the energy to drive back to Miami once again to cover Sensation’s first appearance in Miami. I was particularly excited to see Fedde Le Grand as I love his music but have yet to see him perform. Fedde has a long history with Sensation, performing at over 35 shows.
With a lineup containing the resident Sensation dj Mr. White, Nic Fanciulli, Prok & Fitch, Fedde Le Grand, and MC Gee this was sure to be a mind blowing show. The videos I’ve watched of Sensations past shows did little to prepare me for the complete assault that all my senses faced throughout the night. From crazy pyrotechnic shows, heart pounding bass, beautiful dancers getting completely soaked in the water fountains, sparks coming from the ceiling, a rotating dj booth and incredible decorations. I was completely overwhelmed in the best possible way by this event.
Upon arriving and getting my tickets I explored American Airlines Arena since this was my first time being inside. I was relieved to find that water and drinks were reasonably priced compared to every other event I have been to. I initially had trouble getting back onto the floor after finding out that we had to go upstairs to use the restrooms but then wouldn’t get let back down. I eventually got back down to the floor before Fedde went on and the sheer amount of people inside the arena was mind blowing! It was also the first time I have ever seen such an incredible amount of people all matching!
As Fedde Le Grand started his set I knew that he was going to throw down a multitude of remixes and original songs. He opened with one of my favorite tracks by him: So Much Love which got the crowd singing along! From there, he played his collaboration with Sultan and Ned Shepard: Long Way From Home directly into Merk & Kremonts’ collaboration with Paris & Simo which started getting my heart pumping. Hearing Fedde play Lion (Feel the Love) live was something that I will always remember, it has been one of my favorite songs since the moment I first heard it. After moving through Cube by New World Sound he dropped Nicky Romero’s collaboration with Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano: S.O.T.U (Sound of the Underground) along with BrEaCh: Jack. This song has become a staple in many dj’s sets which I think is due to the unique style that SJ &RM add to their music.
One song that really caught me by surprise was hearing Steve Angello’s remix of Sweet Dreams immediately followed by Fedde’s very own: No Good, which I have been hearing more and more dj’s play as of late. One song that really got the crowd going was hearing Eric Prydz’ Every day come on which is one of my favorite songs on earth. Nearly everywhere I looked, I saw most people singing this melodic masterpiece! One song that I had been wondering if Fedde was going to play finally came on, his incredible remix of Coldplay’s Paradise followed by a mind blowing mashup by Fedde called Kangaroo Sparks using his song Sparks with Sander Van Doorn & Julian Jordan’s Kangaroo. While Fedde was continuing to wow the crowd with his mind shattering mashups, I focused on the incredible attention to detail that went into the stages and designs of all the decorations, from the color changing Jellyfish to the beautiful dancers appearing in many different costumes it became clear why tickets are expensive, it’s because they are completely worth it. I have never been to a single show with the amount of thought and detail put into each and every object and Sensation definitely lived up to the incredible reputation that precedes them.
As Fedde’s set began to get closer and closer to the end, he played one more mind altering mashup that I have yet to hear, Dannic vs. Digitalism & Fedde Le Grand & Deniz Koyu: Zdarlight Tombo which brought the crowds energy level even higher. Another song that really surprised me was hearing Fedde play Hardwell’s Spaceman which really made my night complete! Also hearing Robin S: Show me love and Mark Knight’s: Man with the Red Face truly was the perfect way to end one of the most incredible nights of my life. I hope Sensation comes back next year and goes even bigger and hopefully longer because I simply could not get enough of the experience in the several hours I was there. All of the artists were extremely great even though tech house is not one of the styles of EDM I particularly enjoy. Sensation is an experience that everyone should get to experience at least once in their life, you won’t be disappointed. Trust me!
