Martin Garrix Overcomes Technical Issues and Successfully Closes Sziget Day Four
Hats off to Martin Garrix, the headliner of Sziget’s fourth day. The Dutch DJ has fans who follow him worldwide, including to Hungary. So it was all the more frustrating when the power cut out twice during the last half hour of his show. Fortunately, Garrix finished his performance and delivered a spectacular end to Saturday.
Earlier this week, artists like Kylie Minogue and Liam Gallagher graced the Main Stage—musicians whose heydays were before many Sziget attendees were born. Saturday was a different story. After Zoe Wees opened the day, it was time for Bebe Rexha, best known for songs like “In The Name of Love” (with Martin Garrix), “Say My Name” (with David Guetta), and “Me, Myself & I” (with G-Eazy).
She opened her set with the last of these songs, drawing a crowd of mostly young girls. This was partly due to the act that followed her, but also to Bebe Rexha’s popularity. She appeared on stage with black hair, but after a few songs, it turned out she was wearing a wig, and her ‘real’ blonde locks emerged.
Rexha, along with her dancers (and a few fans she invited to dance with her), put on a fantastic show. The whole field was jumping, dancing, and singing along, especially during her biggest hits. A clever move: mentioning that she had just talked to Louis Tomlinson backstage and that he was excited to perform. Cue the screams.
Those screams only got louder when former One Direction member Tomlinson himself ran onto the stage and launched into his song “The Greatest.” He made it clear that his biggest inspiration since starting his solo career has been Oasis and Liam Gallagher. However, Tomlinson knows exactly where he comes from and what his fans expect of him. It didn’t take long before the first notes of a One Direction song were heard.
Tomlinson plays these tracks with a bit more of a rock edge than the originals, but that didn’t stop “All My Life,” “Night Changes,” and “Where Do Broken Hearts Go” from being sung along word for word. Although sometimes it could hardly be called singing, as the screaming reached new levels this week.
As part of “Silver Tongues,” Tomlinson often climbs the barrier, and he did the same at Sziget. You can imagine what happened: everyone tried to touch, grab, hug, and more. Unfortunately, it cost the British singer his sunglasses, though they were reportedly returned to him by security.
At Martin Garrix’s set, no sunglasses went flying, but that was about the only thing that didn’t take off. Flames, confetti, CO2, lasers, fireworks—the Dutch DJ pulled out all the stops to make his third Sziget show the best yet. However, he faced some challenges: the power—and therefore the music—cut out twice.
Despite these setbacks, Garrix remained professional. His microphone still worked, so he thanked his fans multiple times for their patience and took photos with the packed crowd while technicians worked in the background to fix the problems. Fortunately, they succeeded, and Garrix was able to finish his set, much to his own relief.
His set included songs like “Scared To Be Lonely,” “Animals,” “High On Life,” “In The Name of Love,” and “Starlight” as the closer. It was truly an experience not just to listen to Martin Garrix’s music, but to see all the visual effects as well. The fireworks as the finale were a fitting end, but about two hours later, the DJ had another surprise in store.
With his label STMPD Records, he took over the Bolt Party Arena on Saturday, where DJs from Garrix’s label played all night. At 1:00 AM, a Special Guest was scheduled to perform, and it wasn’t hard to guess who it was: Martin Garrix himself, of course. After a break of about two hours, he kicked off the night with everyone who had already anticipated Garrix’s surprise.
For those who had seen enough of Garrix after his Main Stage show, there was plenty more to enjoy. On the Revolut Stage, Danish artist MØ drew a large crowd. She’s best known for “Lean On,” her collaboration with Major Lazer and DJ Snake, and “Cold Water,” again with Major Lazer and Justin Bieber. Both songs became number-one hits, though her success afterwards was somewhat limited. However, Sziget hadn’t forgotten her, and the crowd sang along enthusiastically to her hits as well as many other songs.
Just two days remain before Sziget 2024 comes to a close. On Sunday, Becky Hill, Janelle Monae, and Sam Smith will take the stage. Smith has never performed on Sziget’s Main Stage before, so we’re curious to see what the Brit will bring. Fans of British rock can head to the Revolut Stage, where Editors will perform tonight. With acts like Fontaines D.C. and Crystal Fighters, there’s plenty to see there. Also recommended is AMÉMÉ, an African DJ performing in the Yettel Colosseum. He loves to showcase his roots in his music and was also featured at Tomorrowland earlier this year.
Photos (c) Marjolein van Veldhuizen
