If you’ve been to other all white festivals like Montreal’s Bal en Blanc or Edmonton’s Pure then you are no stranger to the unifying theme of this legendary global musical event. Originally debuting in Amsterdam in 2000, the Sensation experience has since spread outside of Europe to the likes of Brazil, Australia, Taiwan and now somewhere much closer to home, landing stateside in New York City. People from all corners of North America travelled to Brooklyn to be part of history, as ID&T set a new precedent for live music event production in the Americas.
When traveling to the venue from your pre party location, whether by subway or on foot, the magnitude of the event becomes apparent, as you become part of the mass converging to one final destination. As you pass through the white-clad hordes into the brand new Barclays Center, your first gaze upon the inside of the venue is one of utter astonishment; a massive lotus stage in the center of the floor, already surrounded by a sea of white people dancing, with four identical but smaller lotuses at each corner of the stadium. Overhead, mysterious large white balls hang from the ceiling and massive water screens dance at either end of the huge dance floor.
A thundering bass rips through the arena and the crowd cheers as the show finally begins. The gentle signature female voice recognized from ID&T shows like Tomorrowland chimes in to announce the first act, Sensation’s resident opener. From
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within the center stage, Mr. White appears donning a white blazer and his trademark white face paint. Wasting no time, he begins his set, as the stage comes to life with lights and begins to slowly rotate to ensure everyone in the crowd has a chance to get a look at who is playing. Looking up again, one notices the water screens have been activated, displaying a close up of the DJ that can be seen from anywhere in the venue. Water begins spurting in unison from the surrounding lotus fountains, as a circular stream pours over the center stage from above, in spiraling patterns provided by the intricate lighting. Mr. White would play the perfect opening set, showing New York why Sensation has selected him as their global resident opening DJ.
Immediately following Mr. White’s set, the voice returns again to announce New York’s own house music pioneer, Danny Tenaglia. Peering out from beneath his White ball cap, rocking a white colored shirt fashioned with flashy disco ball material, Danny would waste no time delving into the darkest most unidentifiable house music the crowd has ever heard. The mysterious balls seen above from earlier suddenly come to life, flashing different colors in unison with each other. The four fountains also begin flashing, with colors directly synced to those emanating from the center stage. Performers float up from the center stage, spinning atop the crowd from bands in a Cirque du Soleil-esque act, covering the crowd in a thick yellow smoke.
There were then several non-DJ acts after Danny’s set, including a massive laser demonstration in which the glowing balls began to move up and down onto the crowd in magnificently coordinated patterns with fireworks shooting out from the center stage. A white-garbed vocalist appeared atop the center lotus, singing a cover to Florence and the Machine’s You’ve got the Love, before the floating performers return to shower the crowd with their confetti guns.
Also rocking a white blazer, the one and only Fedde Le Grand emerged from the center next, playing several tracks in sync with Danny’s darker set, including Jewelz & Scott Sparks’ Toxic Rush, before transitioning into his more well known progressive sound to please his
fans. Fedde’s set was a refreshing change of pace for many in the audience, dropping high-energy tracks like Sander Van Doorn’s Kangaroo and his remix to Coldplay’s Paradise. When the energy was lower, one of the unofficial voices of dance music, MC Zawdi would come out to bring it back, engaging the crowd to raise their hands as the performers returned to douse the crowd in refreshingly cold C02 gas. Those seeking a techier vibe during Fedde’s set did not have to stray far, a short walk from the main floor was a bright white room, equipped with its own bars, food, couches and a much smaller dance floor with a whole other vibe to it. Back in the main room, Fedde’s set was coming to a close, finishing off with a few bumpy tech house tracks to line up a proper transition for the next act.