Vibrant stage lights, smoke effects and a very excited crowd flooded the du Arena on Friday night as 19 DJs and artists revitalised Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, at the Creamfields 2012 concert.
The two stages pulsed with trance and techno music as multiple lights and massive computerised background screens charged the venue as the DJs from across the electronic music spectrum played everything from trip-hop to trance on both the main and arena stages.
The event kicked off at 6.30pm with Riva Starr and the UK’s Example, and the party didn’t let up until the festival closed with international headliners David Guetta and the world’s number one DJ Armin Van Buuren.
The line-up schedule went smoothly with almost no delays, but van Buuren fans had to wait until almost 2.30am for the king of trance to take his throne. He played crowd favourites including Dash Berlin’s ‘Waiting’ and Nadia Ali’s ‘Feels So Good’ among many of his hit tracks which saw the stage and the crowd burst into life.
Earlier during the show, AN21 and Max Vangeli introduced a new song called ‘People of the Night’, while Oasis’ famous ‘Wonderwall’ and Coldplay remixes played to an eager crowd. And just like the enthusiasm of the crowd, the music never faltered in maintaining the high energy tone that every 8-hour trance marathon should feature.
“I decided to come after I saw that Armin Van Buuren was performing. I would definitely come back again next year, the atmosphere is crazy — the place is covered in UV lights and glow-sticks!” said Mike Gaskell, 29, a resident of Abu Dhabi.
Shams Hossain, 22 from Dubai added: “I’m here with a big group of friends and we have all come down from Dubai. I came to Creamfields last year but this year is even bigger and better, Example really got the crowd going.”
Wandering the crowds was Lilly, who was walking on stilts in a glittering Moulin-Rouge-inspired outfit as people flocked to take pictures with her.
A new addition to the venue was a bean bag-filled shisha stop, which made a great chill-out spot for many of those looking for a little more space. while tight security ensured no one below 18 years made it into the venue.
In comparison with previous years, this one stood out in organisation, setting, scheduling and overall vibe.