For those in the know, the New Year period in South-East Queensland means more than just another set of NYE resolutions, it means that it’s time for one thing and one thing only, Summafieldayze!

Since its inception, Summafieldayze (or SFD for short) has grown every year into now being one of Australia’s leading festivals. SFD 2009 was no exception with a capacity 35,000 people attending this year’s festival, which was headlined by no less than Underworld, Ferry Corsten, Digitalism, Calvin Harris, David Morales, Switch, Adam Freeland, Boys Noize and of course the world’s number 1 DJ, Armin van Buuren.

One headliner that didn’t make it to Doug Jennings Park was well known Swedish producer Eric Prydz. Ever since exploding onto the international dance music stage, Prydz has forged a reputation as one of, if not THE best producer in dance music. Unfortunately Prydz’s much publicized fear of flying prevented him from coming to Australia and he pulled out of the tour at the very last minute; much to the dismay of his adoring Australian fans. But as they say, the show must go on.

Due to monsoonal rain we postponed our arrival until shortly before 2pm. Thankfully though, this would be the last of the rain for the day. We arrived just in time for the start of a set for Queensland favorite, Murray Brown who lit the Playground up, with a damaging selection of floor-fillers in a pulsating 1 hour set. 3pm and time for the Gold Coast’s finest exports, the Stafford Brothers, to do their thing for an unprecedented 1.5 hour set on the Field Day stage. Always a crowd favourite at SFD, the talented two reveled in their extended set and showed why they were awarded #2 in the 2008 ITM DJ Top 50 Poll. As the festival moved from the afternoon to evening, there was time to see one of the Gold Coast’s unsung heroes, Gerry Morales, do his thing in the Locals Playground. Following a monster 2008 SFD set, Gerry backed up with an explosive hour of thumping house music, the set peaking with a storming remix of the timeless Faithless single, Insomnia.

The late afternoon also saw performances by a string of international headliners, including David Morales, DJ Mehdi, Boys Noize, Busy P, Cicada and Paris Hilton’s favourite DJ, Steve Aoki. DJ Mehdi & Busy P’s party on the Future Stage was a highlight for many punters with a smoking remix of MGMT – Kids and the 2MANYDJ’s remix of the Chemical Brothers – Hey Boy, Hey Girl.

As early evening dawned it was time for the first ‘superstar’ of the event to play on the Summadayze Stage, Ferry Corsten. The Dutch trancer smashed out two hours of power with some monster selections from new and old. Highlights of his set included Out of the Blue, Beautiful, Radio Crash, On Fire and at the end of his set, his timeless classic Punk. While this particular trance lover came to the event for Armin and Underworld, Ferry for my money upstaged his more esteemed Dutch counterpart Armin and reaffirmed why he is truly a superstar in the world of dance music.

As the clock moved past 7.30pm the world’s number 1 DJ, Armin van Buuren, graced the decks with a roaring reception from the adoring faithful. Post-event some punters would show dismay at the tempo of his set but I personally thought the style was fitting to the outdoor, open aired festival setting and lead perfectly into Underworld. Opening with some downtempo trodden beats, their set exploded into action early with an epic 20 minute version of Rez/Cowgirl. Karl, the effervescent front-man decked out in a glittering silver jacket, was imperious as he bound around the stage with an abundance of energy; not bad for a 51 year old! Rez/Cowgirl was followed by one of my favourite tracks, King of Snake, which Karl spent singing with a hand held camera facing his face which made for some mental images on the stage’s two big screens. The 3 piece band was clinical in its performance with seamless transitions between songs complimented by perfectly timed breakdowns and explosive kick-ins. While Two Months Off was another peak moment of a monster 1.5 hour set, it was their 3rd last track which most people had come to see, the seminal single, Born Slippy (NUXX version). When the first few riffs of the globally recognized anthem came flooding through the speakers, there was a sudden explosion of energy.

1 hour left and there was a parting of the sea so to speak with the festival crowd split between those racing to the bus stop to head home and those eager to eek out every last moment of their 2009 SFD experience. Naturally, we were in the latter group and waited patiently for 5 minutes to see Australia’s number 1 DJ TyDi play in front of a hometown crowd. Unfortunately the wait was unjustified as there were significant technical problems in the change over of equipment from Underworld’s live rig to the decks. 15 minutes into the set and the sound was appallingly low. For a talent such as TyDi to have to succumb to those working conditions, it really was a disappointing end to the night. The sound was embarrassingly low, so low in fact that you wondered why the promoters even kept the stage open.

Our group made our way to see Aston Shuffle, who delivered a storming set under similar duress. Unfortunately the sound restrictions were festival wide and they too were forced to play through a sound system that was now no longer louder than your bedroom stereo unit.

In summation of what was truly another amazing spectacle, kudos must be given to the promoters for the setup of the event. 35,000 people is uncharted territory for the promoters yet the crowds were spread well over the 5 different arenas. At no time did I feel at any of the stages were overcrowded. Even when Underworld played and probably half the festival was present, the crowd was manageable and the promoters should be congratulated for the perfect setup. The bar lines were reasonably short and the promoters must be congratulated for that as well. However, unfortunately it seemed as though the promoters hadn’t taken into account the increased attendance when ordering their toilets which resulted in a wait of upwards of 30 minutes! All in all, SFD delivered YET again in 2009 and the promoters have to be congratulated for putting on a festival that again showed why it’s fast becoming one of, if not, THE best festival in Australia. See you on the dance floor in 2010!