Prior to Armin van Buuren’s performance at Metro City in Perth last Friday night, I firmly believed the White Party event would be ‘the’ trance event of the year. Armin would be playing an ‘extended’ set (more on that later), the flyer promised a sound and lighting show like no other and the event sold out weeks in advance, hence my presumption. And this prejudgement turned out to be quite correct.

Much of the pre-gig discussion surrounding Armin’s Perth date centered on the statement that he would be performing an ‘extended’ set while Sydney and Melbourne had been inked in for six-hour shows. Suffice it to say that this got people talking, thus adding to the already white-hot hype. In the end the trance community of Perth met upon the consensus that regardless of the length of Armin’s set, the night would be no less unforgettable.

Three and a half years ago I missed out on an opportunity to see Armin van Buuren perform a set without any other international DJs being present on the line up, and I have been kicking myself ever since. There were reports of people hanging from the rafters. The atmosphere was described as electric. Armin van Buuren’s six-hour set went down a treat with those who were in attendance, and naturally I was not going to let a similar experience slip by me ever again.

With crew and closest friends by my side (or in toe, as it’s polite to walk single file on the left in narrow walkways), we made our way to the top tier of Metro City upon arrival at 10:30pm. The first thing I noticed about the event was that Future Entertainment and Mellen Events had indeed stuck to the promise (as stated on the flyer) that the lighting and visuals would be special. With a cool spot on the top tier of Metro City secured, my family, friends and I settled into the evening. Metro City was almost full upon our arrival. Kenny L had everyone grooving and moving to an excellent selection of chunky electro house (his performance was made all the more noteworthy by his decision to perform alongside percussionist Josh Devlin).

As I waited in line for a beer I heard one of my personal favourites, Bennett & Soarez’ Light of Hope. The time at this point was 11pm, thus I am sure the track (which I’d originally heard on Armin’s A State of Trance radio show) was Mark James’ opening tune. I thought the trance vibes would continue from this point on, however Mark James quickly switched back to the electro flavour. While his mixing was a bit off target, Future Entertainment have stated that there were problems with the monitors throughout the majority of his performance. Mark James left behind the electro flavours again as his set drew to a close, with his closing track being none other than Sander van Doorn’s critically acclaimed Grasshopper.

The main man himself, Armin van Buuren, began his set approximately at midnight. Officially his set would run between the hours of 12:30 and 4:30, thus ending the speculation over its length. I tried in vain to find a good spot on the dance floor however there was no chance as everyone was dancing elbow to elbow. As I made my way back up the Metro City stairs I observed the explosive manner in which Armin had opened his set, with the opening tune carrying something of a reggae-like melody.

Overall the programming behind Armin’s set was excellent, despite the bumpy manner in which it took shape early on. It seemed strange that Armin played Sunlounger’s White Sand following on from heavy-hitting epic trancers like Evergreen by First State and Dash Berlin’s Til the Sky Falls Down. Armin is of course well known for his supersize sets, and as per this reputation it was not long before his set began flowing like white-hot magma. Before I knew it my crew, friends and I joined the crowd in raising our hands to Armin’s incredibly powerful Communication part III.

While reveling in the sumptuous trance sounds on offer, I took the time to properly observe the sound and visuals that made the event complete. The white theme had been taken to the extreme by some clubbers who were donned in tennis outfits or white tutus (amongst other weird, wonderful and downright bizarre attire). The live performers looked amazing and one heck of a visual rig had been installed, however with everything blaring all at once for the majority of the time (including the two magnificent lasers that rained down on the lower tiers of the venue), the lighting went into overkill. It is possible to have too much of a good thing, and a little bit of creativity and control over the lighting would have gone a long way. The sound quality was for the most part excellent, however it sounded a little distorted at the top tier of the club.

You could have cut the atmosphere with a knife, and Armin could do no wrong as he upped the tempo even further towards the middle of his set. The Cosmic Gate remix of Fly Away by Vincent de Moor has taken clubland by storm recently and this very tune was met with a rapturous reaction. Armin’s own Shivers and its successor Louder by Jenifer Renee had me jumping out of my skin. A little later on I made a vain (and unsuccessful) attempt at singing along to The Space We Are, a track that for me marked 2006.

In all honesty I had not predicted that Armin van Buuren would be playing such a selection of somewhat harder-edged tracks. I had anticipated a smoother ride through the airy-fairy sound of trance before Armin left off with a crunching finish. This forsight did not reflect what I had been ‘hoping’ for though, as I had thoroughly enjoyed Armin’s thumping Essential Mix from the Christmas weekend of last year. Prior to his Australian tour Armin did say that he would be playing to the crowd, and as such he must have picked up on the strong energy that came from his Perth audience. His set grew in intensity as it progressed towards its close.

I made another bad attempt at a sing along to Filo & Peri’s beautiful Anthem, a tune that has become an instant classic for trance fans the world over. Armin’s very own Control Freak followed shortly after, and until this event I had never really got into this tune. I can truthfully say that my opinion on this track has changed now that I’ve heard it live. The person next to me said, “wow, listen to that kick drum!” What was even more impressive was the way in which Armin looped the vocals from the track over the tracks that preceded it. This was no random incident: throughout his set Armin van Buuren made good use of the technology that he had at his disposal.

As Control Freak drew to a close I realised, upon checking my watch, that Armin’s set was doing likewise. The night would not be complete without taking a few quick snaps with my brand new mobile phone. The conclusion of Armin’s set was laiden with electro-tech influences. The crowd once again went wild as Armin dropped Richard Durrand’s remix of Smack My Bitch Up by The Prodigy (Durrand has been releasing some absolutely trouncing remixes of big room classics recently). And then before I even knew it Armin van Buuren was into his closing track, Tiesto’s Adago For Strings, which capped off his performance perfectly.

Armin van Buuren’s awe-inspiring performance had lasted for all of about five hours which was satisfaction enough for everyone who had attended the Perth leg of the White Party tour. I am sure that I can speak for everyone when I say that this night will live long in the memory of all in attendance. Props must go to Future Entertainment and Mellen Events for putting on this fantastic show. I could have, and wanted, stay on for the final hour in which Kenny L was playing however my crew was collectively very tired after the huge night. Here’s hoping that it won’t be too long before Armin van Buuren graces our shores once again!