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European trance and house light up Red Rocks on Saturday
Big-time European DJs took the reins of the 2011 Global Dance Festival in Denver Saturday to finish off three days that took over one of the most famous concert venues in the nation.
The absence of heavy rain and some heavy-hitting DJs from across the pond were the only saving grace for the chaotic final day, which suffered from poor organization and a huge crowd verging on completely out of control. Intermittent scuffles and major delays accessing the venue were just a few of the problems that faced fans, media and VIPs alike. Overall, it was one of the most incoherent festival scenes Denver has seen in quite a while.
Luckily, good music will make up for a lot, and if there was any proof of that, it was the relentlessly dancing crowd that kept the organized rave alive until the early hours of Sunday. Swedish DJ duo Dada Life was one of the highlights of the smaller stages, with the crazed Europeans blasting out a constant stream of electro house while vigorously eating bananas and chugging champagne while spinning for the crowd. Tim Bergling, also known by his professional DJ name as Avicii, ensured that the main stage crowd kept their glow sticks spinning as he delivered a constant stream of progressive house. English trance legend Gareth Emery was also a hit, spinning a mix of many well known trance tracks and blending in a few older techno hits.
The most anticipated performer of the night, though, was Italian Grammy-winner Benny Benassi. One of Europe's most successful electro house DJs took Red Rocks by storm and spun a relentless set that kept the energy alive late into the night. — Josh Barrett, special to Metromix
