all photo by
Lexi Lambros
Wow, wow, wow! That’s simply what sums up the night after Armin Van Buuren came to Lavo NYC this past Thursday night. I mean what can you really expect when you combine one of the best nightclubs in Manhattan and the sounds of the world’s #1 DJ?
The night was special for a few different reasons, the first being Armin’s recent achievement of being crowned king, yet again, by DJ Mag as the top DJ of 2012 for his fifth time in six years, NYC being one of the cities on the ASOT 600 tour schedule, and the most obvious reason of all… having Armin Van Buuren cookin’ it behind the decks as we partied with the city’s elite for a night. As expected, partygoers were certainly in for an EDM culture night that will be remembered.
The night kicked off with a bit of stress trying to find out how my friend and I were going to get into this massive event. Anyone that’s been to Lavo on a crazy night knows the line stretches down the block and it’s a dogfight to get into the building. Whether you’re on the guest list or not, it’s still a tough thing to accomplish on a night like Thursday. Luckily here at Magnetic we have established a good relationship with the Lavo doorman, Richard Wheeler, and we got in with relative ease. Wheeler had his hands full Thursday night as he had to cater to the hundreds, if not thousands, of eager party people who wanted nothing more than to break past his barricade and get down in the club. Props to him for handling that crowd as good as he did and getting as many people as he could in there… god knows I couldn’t do that!
Once we passed the mess at the door we walked downstairs and got the night kicked off with the sounds of Lavo legend, Steve Powers. I have seen Steve Powers more times than I can count on my hand by now and every time I do he brings something different to the table. He really was a great opening act for Armin, as he has opened for countless other superstars and is used to the spotlight. He broke it down with some heavy house mixed with a few of the progressive tech “club anthems” that we have become used to today. I was able to catch up with Steve after the show to get his perspective on this epic night. When asked what was special about the crowd last Thursday night compared to other nights? Powers responded, “Once the doors opened, the floor was packed. I felt the excitement from the crowd right away and it was such a great night to play. Everyone there came to party and there was a phenomenal amount of energy you could feel.” It was clear that Steve was feeling amped up Thursday because he really did do a killer job on his opening and closing sets. He also added, “Getting to play alongside Armin was something special for me, particularly on such a special night for him, being crowned number one. It shows you how hard work and longevity pays off, and he killed it for sure!”
By the time 1 am rolled around the club was packed and all of us that were fortunate enough to be inside were feenin’ for our time with Armin. By the time things were ready to pop off all the tables were occupied, bottle service was going like water, Guys were throwing down there Benjamin’s on the drinks and the ladies were packing out the dancefloor all dolled up… the perfect club setting. Armin came on at about 1:15 and fired things off right away after a huge ovation. Armin played a wide range of tracks ranging from newer productions like, “I’ll Listen” and a remix of Andrew Rayel’s “How Do I Know” from Armin’s latest compilation, Universal Religion, on to his classics like “In and Out of Love” and “Fine Without You Know.” My two personal favorite moments of the night was when the man dropped Zedd’s track “Spectrum” (Armin Van Buuren remix) and the ASOT anthem “Invasion” by W&W. Those two tracks were classic Armin. The worlds #1 DJ throwing festival bangers inside the luxurious and intimate Lavo nightclub… Ahh, Just what I needed. The night’s biggest surprise came at the very end of the of Armin’s set. Before dropping his last track Armin cut the music and announced that he’ll be coming to NYC to celebrate this years New Years Eve! With that, Armin threw down a mash up of Coldplay’s “Every Teardrop’s A Waterfall” and Porter Robinson’s “Language,” which was a nice way to wrap up the night.
Phew! Looks like all of us New Yorker’s have a lot of Armin to look forward to with his big apple New Years party and his ASOT invasion later on in March. Get ready y’all. We’d just like to thank Lavo, PlexiPR, Richard Wheeler and most importantly Armin for making that magical night possible.
