When you talk about the Amsterdam Dance Event, you can’t do it without mentioning Amsterdam Music Festival, the biggest indoor event of the week.
This year, tickets sold-out 4 weeks prior to the event, so one could only expect a huge party. AMF took place again on Saturday at Johan Cruyff Arena. The party was from 9pm to 6am, and EDMTunes was there to cover it.
The Line-up:
The line-up consisted of some of the world’s biggest names. It had 10 acts including (in appearance order); Mike Williams, Jonas Blue, David Guetta, Tiësto, DJMag Top 100 winner, Armin van Buuren, Timmy Trumpet B2B W&W, Alesso, Don Diablo, and Coone.
The Venue:
Johan Cruyff Arena (previously named Amsterdam Arena) has been home to AMF for many years. This year it was still the case with an announced number of 40 000 attendees, making the venue the biggest club in the world.
The entrance was organized through the multiple gates leading to the arena. However, attendees experienced considerable waiting time. Many reported waiting between 1 and 2 hours, which is a lot considering the big names playing early in the night.
Gates closer to the main streets and metro stations were noticeably more crowded. Unfortunately, not all participants respected the gate mentioned on their tickets, making the waiting longer on those ones. Some previously-closed doors opened later to solve this issue. This was a good move made by the organizers, but the situation would have been even better if it was done from the beginning.
As soon as you step into the Arena, you can only be impressed by the size of the venue and how amazing the production is. Sound quality, sound distribution, and aeration were great inside the venue. No noticeable waiting was seen at the bars. The locker system was smooth and easy to use.
The Show:
Once again, AMF broke its own records. The visual show and production were undoubtedly one of, if not the greatest spectacles in AMF and indoor festivals history. Three huge “X” letters were again the main components of the stage decoration, representing the Dutch Capital and AMF home, Amsterdam. Other smaller ones, as well as LED stripes, were spread around the arena.
The stage was impressive, and as in the previous editions, CO2 cannons, Pyrotechnics, and flame throwers were there to make the show crazier. However this year, multiple CO2 cannons, Pyrotechnics, and flame throwers were placed all around the crowd and also in the dancefloor. With this in place, you are sure to get the full experience wherever you are.
This also allowed every attendee to dance freely as people didn’t need to get as close as possible to the stage. If you still wanted to, it might take you some time considering the size of the Arena, but once you make it, you can still have enough space, even with the show being sold-out.
We also tried AMF’s “Party Pit” concept where you could dance behind the DJ. It is definitely the best way to have even more space, get close to your favorite DJ and see the venue and production in a unique way.
Highlight Acts:
The first act after the opening ceremony was David Guetta. The DJ played a set with his ultimate anthems and classics. It was the perfect way and time to take the night to the next level. The French icon also delivered some Jack Back craft. The crowd got the chance to enjoy some techno tunes and experience both sides of the DJ’s productions.
The party witnessed once again the DJMag Top100 ceremony where the winners were Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike. The title is the second of their career, following their previous victory in 2015. The Belgian duo received their trophy on stage and played a special DJ set straight afterward. This added yet another big name to the festival’s line-up.
One of the night’s highly anticipated moments was the II=I show. Timmy Trumpet and W&W set the Arena on fire with a B2B performance. Originals, remixes, and IDs from both artists delivered exactly what one would expect from such a team-up, an explosive hour.
Afterward, it was time for Alesso to take the crowd into his world. One magical hour of progressive House was all the crowd needed to keep going. The Swedish DJ delivered what he does best, a melody and emotion-filled act, probably not the most surprising, but the most effective. It was one of our favorites of the festival.
Future House Fans had their share of the night too with Don Diablo coming back after his show in 2017. The 6th position holder in the DJMag Top 100 delivered a set almost exclusively from his own productions. AMF attendees got to discover many of his IDs expected in his upcoming album, Forever.
Coone was up-next with Hardstyle tunes along with some psytrance tracks, closing AMF with the untired crowd. Hardstyle fans were a little disappointed by the length of the 30min set, but totally not by its quality.
The visual show went on and the arena looked as beautiful as it did during the whole night. There was, however, no closing ceremony as previously announced.
Conclusion:
Once again, Amsterdam Music Festival proves itself to be a major showpiece party in the annual dance music calendar. With a sold-out show, more than 40,000 visitors from 100 different countries, and an amazing production, the festival delivered a unique and spectacular experience. The original components that the festival has (Great venue, Party pit, II=I show, DJMag Top 100 ceremony, all-headliners line-up) make it a must if you’re an EDM fan.
While we wait for the after-movie, check this short recap video. You can already sign up now for Amsterdam Music Festival 2020Â here.
