"just set your fears go, you might find that you're not lost"*

IT WAS THE BEST NIGHT OF MY LIFE.

I have not slept since Thursday night, but my body isn't tired. At all. Friday night was some kind of glorious dream. ARMIN was so incredible. I can't begin to describe the way his music makes me feel. I haven't felt as alive as I did in that ballroom - every synth taking me to a place where there is only joy. I was telling someone that I never felt closer to reality than I did in those moments. Of course she pointed out the irony of my having that experience in the most surreal of settings - trance and flashing lasers. I don't know - I just felt so free, so conscious and so aware. [And, no, I wasn't on drugs haha - unless we're calling the magic-of-Armin a drug]

His set went from 11PM - 5:20AM and I was front-and-centre for all of it! I have some amazing pictures taken on a friend's really good (read as: $800) camera, but I have one or two blurry Blackberry camera photos too. I'm going to edit some of the other pictures, but I should have them up soon. For now I shall post some pictures taken with my phone. I have a great photo of him pointing right at me - glorious. After he finished his set, he came down to sign autographs etc (unlike those super-rude DJs who think they own the world and can afford to not be nice) and he came up to me, hugged me, kissed my cheek, said "Thank you" and signed my wristband. Needless to say, it is up there amongst the greatest moments of my life haha (if not the greatest moment). I don't believe in idolatry...I do believe in Armin van Buuren, though.

my favourite photo in this lot. this is Armin's signature pose
Precious.

I cannot do justice to the magic of listening to Armin live. He just KNOWS what to play - every song was right on cue. My heart soared when he played "Lost", "Unforgivable" and "Hide & Seek". Literally, soared. He did two mashups which made my blood pound through my veins (excuse the bad language in these titles, by the way - in his defense, Armin didn't choose them) "Funkagenda - What The Fuck vs Santiago & Bushido - Head Trick" and "The Prodigy - Smack My Bitch Up vs Ferry Corsten - Radio Crash". He played some amazing classic trance which, when coupled with blowout speakers and high bass, made for the most fantastic 2-hrs. And then when everyone came together to sing "Going Wrong" (the Armin-DJ Shah collaboration), I felt like I was a part of a nation. In trance we trust.

I am a changed person because of Friday night. I really don't want to fall asleep...it's like I will lose that glimpse I got of another way of existing in this world. I fear that when I wake up tomorrow, I will have let go of these moments of living in an altered sense of being...I will have moved away from this State of Trance.

* Sunlounger feat. Zara - Lost (Club Mix)