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| Rockabye |
Me and a friend travelled all the way from Germany just for this event! And it was amazing!!!
But let's go into detail!
Our trip started Friday Morning 07:00 a.m. cet in Hamburg, Germany.
We had to drive by car to Cologne for our plane. That took us 4 hours and 400kms. Our plane started at 14:55 cet and we arrived in Birmingham @ 15:25 gmt.
Off the plane we met a guy from the USA on the airport, who also wants to go to GG. He made a trip around europe and heard on Ibiza about this festival and like us just travelled to the UK for this.
We travelled on with the train, which took us quite some time because trains were late (or we were early?).
As we arrived at Stratford and jumped out of the shuttle bus we saw the longest waiting line of our lifetime!!! Unfortunately we also saw the signs, that alcohol was not allowed inside. So we had to drink our 12 beer in front of the area, which was no problem, because we had to wait till 21:30 to get in.
We build up the tent as fast as we can (had to remove it the next day because it stands in the fire line) and went to the party to see the last tracks of Paul Oakenfold. His set was allright, but we still don't get any party feeling. Maybe because we were on the road for 15 hours now!
Than we walked a bit around the area, watched Roger Sanchez and went back to the Global tent for Sasha! And man what a fantastic set!!! The second hour of his set was so damn good! And the last few tracks really made us freak out! Now we knew that this whole trip was worth every penny we spend.
To Sasha: Can you tell me whats the name of the last track by him? The whole tent was burning at that moment and everyone was singing! Someone told me it was from "The Killers" but I couldn't remember the name.
After Sasha we went back to the camp site. It was good that the festival now had a break for 12 hours, because we were really tired and only wanted to sleep.
The next day we woke up and had to place the tent on another position because it stood in the fire line. We went to the food area and get some chinese meal, which was VERY expensive (6 pounds) and doesn't really taste any good.
At 15.00 we went back to the Party Area. We now split up. My friend and the US guy went here and there and I stayed at the Godskitchen tent to catch Markus Schulz.
DAMN!!! This man rocks each and every time! The third track really make me freak out, and it was only 15.30!!! It was Hammer & Bennett - Language (Evelation Remix). Andrew Bennett is a local DJ at my home town Hamburg and I knew him a bit so it was really great to hear his tune so early at the party and got a good party feeling allready.
The whole set of Markus was great and the people really went into it (well the tent wasnt crowded at the moment but people who were there really made party). My personal highlight was Without you year which nearly brought me to tears!
After Markus Above & Beyond came to the DJ booth and DAMN they had such a powerful entrance! The tent was screaming for them and these guys didn't disappoint us! I heard them once over here in Germany where Tony McGuiness had to play in front of a club which was only 1/2 full. I was one of few who knew the music and danced to it and because of that Tony gave me the Anjunabeats Vol.1 with signature as a present on that day. Since then Above & Beyond are one of my favourites
A&B played a lot of great tracks. Starting with an intro mix of Air For Life they played a lot of wonderful uplifting tunes. To the end they started to play their classics, which really made the tent burning! I've met some english people who had the same love for trance like me and we partied at the end of the A&B set together. No one on earth and what it feels like for a girl are old and maybe overplayed but they were played here at the right moment for me. I totally went nuts! Singing to No one on earth arm in arm with a guy you've only met half an hour ago is priceless!!! Knowing that there are other freaks out there that have the same love for trance music like me is sooooo great. Most of my friends doesn't understand why I'm spending so much money for events far away from home just to see some people spinning some vinyls. But such moments you can only get if you are so damn crazy.
Then I've listend to the start of Jon O'Birs set. I wanted to chill a bit, but he played Transatlantic and than Andrew Bennetts Tracks Language again!!! Had to dance again
Now I met my friend and the US guy at the Bedrock tent to hear Hernan Cattaneo. It was my first time to hear him life, just know him from his CDs. I didn't know what to expect from him but I really got into his style of music. Danced for an hour or so in the bedrock tent and then we went ot the outside Radio 1 Beach. Judge Jules played some nices tunes and we lie on the ground to chill a bit. Than Tiesto was on and we split up again. We don't like Tiesto that much. My friend went to Carl Coxs Area and I went back to the Godskitchen tent.
I've listened to Marco V and he played a solid set, nothing special. As he played a remix of sweet dreams the tent was on fire again.
It was 21:30 now and Ferrys turn. He started with Sublime which made me believe this would be another great set from him and I wasn't disappointed. Many great tracks, most of them I didn't knew. I really danced my ass off now to his beautiful uplifting tracks.
Slowly I got nearer to the DJ booth, because when it was Armins turn I wanted to be in front of him because he is my absolute #1.
Armin took over at 23:00 and the lasers went on. He started with Love Theme Dusk, like he always did in the last time. It was a little bit boring for me because I hear the same start of him at Sensation White and Armada Night in June.
Than he played Around You and again everybody was singing. Armin smiled all the time, like he always did and cheered with the crowd. It seems he really had a great time (like he has at almost every gig).
As 4th track I think he played The Cranberries - Shattered (Arctic Quest Bootleg). I heard it first at the ASOT 200 Megamix and had to wait till GG to hear it live. And it was my personal highlight of the whole weekend! The whole tent singing, me in front of Armin and this beautiful tune which is so lovely!!! I really got some tears in my eyes and felt like in heaven! I hope the moment I die it will be like this! Hearing a great tune on the dancefloor, having tears in my eyes and feeling like in heaven.
Armin played so many other great tunes but I had to sit down and chill a bit, because my legs and knees started to hurt me. Maybe I should've start the day a bit slower, but how can you do that when Markus Schulz and Above & Beyond open it for you???
I take a seat in the Godskitchen tent and watched the people dancing to the music. It was wonderful seeing so many people having a great time. There were so many people who really love the music and went to GG to party and dance. There are a lot of parties like Sensation were the people only go to be cool and to see and been seen. But here, they all went nuts!!!
Armin played till 1 am and now it was Pauls turn. His set was banging from the start with a lot of tracks I don't knew. Now confetti was raining down from the roof. I still sat on the ground and watched the party, because I wasn't able to move
The second part of Paul gets more melodic with The Other Side, Swing 2 Harmony and so on. I got up for a last time and danced to his set, but only near the walls of the tent. I haven't got enough power to fight back to the front.
I guess Pauls Scratch Live Programm crashed down at one time, because during the break and the melody of one tune it stopped without warning and another track started at the beginning with its bass. It happens a lot lately that Pauls programs crash down. But at GG it seems not all people recognized this action (maybe some of them had taken to much drugs?).
At the end of Pauls set I went back to the campsite. I were really tired, only slept about 8 hours since Thursday morning and had a long travel behind me and also a long travel in front of me on sunday.
My buddy also went back to the tent and we slept for few hours. At 8 am we started to get up. We put everything into our baggage. We don't took the tent back with us, because it was wet and it was a cheap tent for 10 euro (around 6 pounds) which was of no good quality. Well, the tent was as expensive as the timetable. Hear you got a tent where you can sleep without getting wet and there is a bunch of paper which tells you which DJ plays when and where. Both have the same price! Funny isn't it? Don't know if the timetable is too expensive or the tent too cheap. Maybe a bit of both
We went back so early because we thought our trip back to Birmingham Airport would take so much time like we needed to get to Stratford. Unfortunately we thought wrong and arrived at Birmingham at 11:00. Our plane back to germany starts at 15:55 so we had a lot of time doing nothing at the airport.
But arriving here so early was the best thing that could happen to us!!!
As we were running through the airpot my buddy took my arm and screamed "I think there was Armin!"
I couldnt believe it so we were following the person who we thought was Armin and as he was standing at the check-in we recognized YES IT IS ARMIIN!!!
Damn!!! My favourite DJ just a few steps next to me. My friend had some flyers in his back and gave me a pen and I waited for the right moment to ask Armin for a signature.
But as we looked to the check-in-line we also saw Carl Cox, Chris Liebing and Tiesto!!! We went nuts!!! All these global djs and megastars of electronic dance music were there!!!
As we get more and more excited maybe 5 other people saw these Djs and prepared for photos and signatures.
Each of us made a photo with Armin and my friend also took pictures with Cox and Liebing. I've got a signature from Armin on an Amnesia flyer of the opening party this year.
Armin looked really tired and maybe he wasn't that happy about us that people wanna have photos and signatures so early, but he had time for everyone. Maybe he knew that this was a once-in-a-lifetime-moment for us.
These are the pictures. My friend with Armin, Cox and Liebing and me with Armin. We didn't make photos with Tiesto or get a signature because as mentioned earlier he isn't really our hero. But you can believe us that he was there too! We asked us why all these DJs were flying to Cork, but as I got home I found out that they were all going to GG Eire!
It was interesting that Armin and Tiesto doesn't look at each other and didn't talk to each other. It seemed like they have not a really good relationship.
Armin was smiling as always as he hang around with his buddies and his girlfriend (damn shes so hot). I think this guy is never angry or in bad mooth or at least he doesn't show it.
Now it was noon and we took a seat and slept for few minutes. It was so annoying to wait at the airpot. We even had no money left to do anything.
At 15:55 the plane gets off to Germany. We landed here at 18:25 (this time the different time zone stole us an hour). At 19:00 we were back at the road and drove back to Hamburg. At 0:00 I were at home, so tired but full of adrenaline.
This was such a great weekend! Till now one of the Top 3 Parties of my life, maybe the best!!!
Not all was perfect at Gathering. They took money from us for everything! Timetable 6 pounds, drinks were very expensive, shuttle 2 pounds for each direction and so on. And camping isn't one of our greatest hobbies. But hey, if we take a look at the line-up and remember all these great moments we had it was worth all the pain, money and stress.
Here are the things we had to pay:
Flight from Birmingham to Cologne and back: 70 euros for each of us (around 50 pounds or so)
Entrance for Gathering weekend: 85 pounds
Shuttle: 4 pounds
Train from Birmingham to Stratford: 9 pounds for each of us
Timetable: just bought 1 for 6 pounds
After all I spent 400 euros (maybe 300 pounds or a bit more) for the whole weekend.
You've got to know that I'm a student and only got a part-time-job that brings me 400 euros a month!!! So I spent the money for a whole month for this trip.
But I can tell you it was worth every euro or pound I spent!!! We only got few trance parties here in germany (4 times a year a vandit night with Paul van Dyk, Nature One...) and at our home town there is no one at all! We had to travel 400 kms to Berlin or to Holland to get good music.
Clubs over here only play hip hop and r'n'b our some hands up / dance techno which people misunderstand and think that this is trance (maybe you know guys like Special D, Pulsedriver and so on, than you know what people like to hear over here).
I have the meaning that I rather spent a lot of money for a trip far away than have cheap parties with bad music and stupid people at my hometown.
We don't know if we travel to GG 2006, but if there is such a great line-up like this year we will do it.
It was such a great experience for us, with some unforgetable moments and dj sets!!!
And one thing I have to say: over here in Germany many people don't have THAT good meaning about english people (like you have as well, if I look at some headlines on the Daily Mirror or Sun). Over here we have the picture of the drunken english man in a football jersey that likes to fight with other people and has no good manners.
I have to say that I only met nice and friedly english people (or scottish, walish and so on). I had some great conversations and I really freaked out with some!
So even you drive your cars on the wrong side and don't have the euro, you have a great country with great people!!! There was not one bad moment I had in your country and I only met friedly and helpful people.
So for us, it really was a GLOBAL GATHERING. The name stands for it, guys from all over the world gather to have a great time and no one is interested in where you come from, who you are or what you are doing. To look each other in the eyes, smiling and listening to a great tune it doesn't matter where you come from.
This is what electronic dance music is all about! Bringing people together and taking away any kind of prejudices.
I really look forward to come back to your country, maybe for GG 2006 or a party at Godskitchen Birmingham or Turnmills.
So thank you Great Britain, Godskitchen and all those great DJs, especially Armin van Buuren, for having this unforgettable weekend. |
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| scAza |
Sounds great, glad you enjoyed it mate!
Its true yes, we're not all arsewipes!
I agree, we get ing ripped-off in this country :whip: |
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| Rockabye |
| quote: | Originally posted by scAza
Sounds great, glad you enjoyed it mate!
Its true yes, we're not all arsewipes!
I agree, we get ing ripped-off in this country :whip: |
I don't know how you handle your prices? You must have a higher average income...or you just buy less than us??
As we visited Burger King on Sunday Morning I bought a Whopper which had a price of around 3,20 pounds.
Over here in Germany we pay that much for a whole menu with a 0,5 drink and some fries.
Well, at least you've got all the great djs each and every week @ Turnmills or Godskitchen, while we had to dance to handsup/dance stuff from Special D, Rocco, Pulsedriver, Jan Wayne, Mark Oh and other bastards that make music only for the money and make all people think that guys who listen to electronic music are idiots. |
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| dEsidEL |
great review ! i was at GKGG '04 and had an amazing time but sadly couldn't make it this year. sounds like u really had an amazing time and what luck running into all those DJs at the airport. i love reviews like this where people tell it how it is hehe.. not to mention the drunken english man in a football jersey with no good manners who wants to fight part.. lol classic !!
:D
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| scAza |
| quote: | Originally posted by Rockabye
I don't know how you handle your prices? You must have a higher average income...or you just buy less than us??
As we visited Burger King on Sunday Morning I bought a Whopper which had a price of around 3,20 pounds.
Over here in Germany we pay that much for a whole menu with a 0,5 drink and some fries.
Well, at least you've got all the great djs each and every week @ Turnmills or Godskitchen, while we had to dance to handsup/dance stuff from Special D, Rocco, Pulsedriver, Jan Wayne, Mark Oh and other bastards that make music only for the money and make all people think that guys who listen to electronic music are idiots. |
you paid £3.20 just for a whopper? :nervous:
I think someone robbed your money there mate :confused:
the further south in England, the bigger the prices... "UP NORTH" where I am, things are cheaper than London and that area... I guess Birmingham and the midlands is inbetween.... |
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