27/09/08: Groove Armada Live Concert @ S’Estanyol

Only a matter of hours after we’d bade farewell to Wonderland, a special text message arrived in Miss W’s inbox declaring that the party was not yet over for Groove Armada, who would be performing a very special one-off concert at one of my favourite places on the island, S’Estanyol.

Oh well - no rest for the wicked right?

Miss W has to hand to it to the crew from The Shop, who – after successfully closing the Wonderland season at Eden – managed to pull off organising the full-scale Groove Armada live band, stage show (lasers and all) right on the beach, and managed to keep it a secret until now. Credit where credit’s due… and a round of applause is certainly due here.

From the minute I arrived, I have to admit I was über-impressed. Although we had to leave our car quite far back up the steep hill and walk down – and indication as to how many people had caught wind of the event and arrived early – from the first beat of the music carrying itself on the wind to the spectacular set up and lighting displays projected onto the rocks, you got the feeling that you were about to take part in something special.

With three overseas visitors in tow tonight, Miss W was pretty proud to be able to show her guests a glimpse of ‘The Real Ibiza’ – a secret party, heavyweight line-ups and a spectacular setting. Even the ominous rainclouds managed to stay away for the duration of the event – phew!

Of course, it was all about the music and from the minute Groove Armada took to the stage, the entire crowd got their groove on, dancing in the sand, arms in the air, girls hoisted up on shoulders, little kids bopping around (yes, this was a very chilled family affair) and a lot of singing and hugging (think: ‘Whenever I’m down, I call on you my friend’). Oh, I feel all teary and emotional just thinking about it now.

From old classics (Superstylin’ will NEVER get old) to some new songs, this was a concert that will be talked about in Ibiza for years to come. Something out of the ordinary, something unexpected and something very special indeed. In fact, this could be Miss W’s favourite event in Ibiza this summer.

But don’t quote me on that!

THE LOWDOWN
THE GOOD: The music pumping from the incredible sound system both before and after the event was absolutely rave-tastic and had guests dancing on the sand for hours. Miss W asked around on the night to discover exactly which DJ was doing such a fantastic job (she couldn’t see for herself because the booth was well-hidden) and it wasn’t until the following evening that the ever-so-humble Andy Baxter admitted that he was the man responsible. Makes me look forward to his winter residencies at Pacha and Grial...
THE BAD: The event promised free paella however the guests must have been incredibly hungry as it was completely gone by the time Miss W arrived! There was a gourmet BBQ sizzling away, so we lined up for more than half an hour to order, only to discover that food tickets needed to be purchased at the bar. However when we enquired at the bar, they said we should pay at the BBQ. Needless to say, Miss W had to suffice with a liquid dinner… not the end of the world!
THE GOSSIP: Had Groove Armada’s Andy Cato (who was wearing sunglasses for the entire show) or any of our good friends from The Shop been to bed since the previous night’s extravaganza at Wonderland? Fair play to them all – they managed to pull it off to perfection if that was the case!