The guys from the legendary Trance group came back to Buenos Aires, for the first party together since 2020.
I’ve already talked about how wonderful is to be able to party in Argentina, but in case you haven’t read my Marsh in Buenos Aires or my Spencer Brown in Buenos Aires articles, here’s my self-quote about the topic:
“Argentina is one of the best places around the world to hold a party. Its people work wonders. Parties don’t usually start before midnight, and the tonic here is to dance, quite literally, all night long. If the sun is rising behind the de la Plata river (I’m specifically talking Buenos Aires here), you still have a while to go before leaving. That’s how incredible the parties are over here.” -Yours truly.
February was ending, and Summer in the Southern Hemisphere was already waving its goodbyes. We had lost all hope that Above & Beyond would return to Argentina this year. And as we were packing our things until next year, the news came: they would come. They always play Buenos Aires either in January or February, so it was quite odd for us to see they would arrive mid-April. But no one was complaining. On the contrary, the excitement was off the charts, so much so that tickets sold out mere minutes after they came out.
Fast forward to last week, Jono and Paavo were in charge of giving Argentina the first Group Therapy experience since January 18th, 2020 (that one would also be among their last sets worldwide before the world went silent). And they sure succeeded.
The Venue
The place chosen for this event was Mandarine Park, one of Buenos Aires’ core open-air venues. Located in the Punta Carrasco area, right on the coast, this property has seen countless A&B shows and several other Trance and EDM artists, so it’s no stranger to a good party.
For good measure, here’s a picture from 2019’s Above & Beyond show, the last one in Buenos Aires until last week (2020’s show was played in Mar del Plata):
The Night
The event started at 11:00 PM. Opening the night was Belu Clavero, who warmed the night up with a wave of Organic House until 01:00 AM. Next up, Tomás Heredia followed the vibe, upping the tempo and darkening the style a tad until 02:30 AM. And then, came the masters. Paavo Siljamäki and Jono Grant hopped onto the stage, waving and walking to the rhythm of their remix for Dirty Vegas‘ ‘Tonight‘, a track made popular for its appearance in their own Anjunabeats Volume 7 compilation.
Boy, was the night just starting.
Marsh‘s ‘Reminiscent‘, Genix & Dosem‘s brand new ‘Day City‘, Paavo’s own ‘Let You Go‘, Above & Beyond’s new ‘Angry JP8‘, and many, many more tunes were blasted to the Buenos Aires crowd for a breathtaking two and a half hours of A&B set. Actually, I’ve curated a playlist with a rough estimate of the tracklist — take away some unreleased IDs, such as the premiere of Jerome Isma-Ae‘s tear-inducing remix of ‘Sun In Your Eyes‘. Listen to it by clicking below.
Jono and Paavo gave their 110% as well. Jumping with us, dancing with us, singing with us, and having the best reunion we could have after more than three years of being separated. Paavo made a symbolic Push The Button with an Argentinian flag in his hand during ‘Blue Sky Action‘, and also a second PTB occurred with people from the crowd, during ‘Sun & Moon‘. Two or three more tracks came by, and just like that, their set was over. The night flew. People hugging everywhere, crowd chanting, teary eyes filled the place at times. The guys never disappoint.
After they left the stage, Heredia came in for the last hour of music, and at 6 AM, we embarked on our different journeys home. From home to home, because being at an A&B show is being at home.
Final Words
Did we have a great time last Saturday? You be the judge. I’d say we did. And I’d say Jono and Paavo did too. The latter wrote a couple of times, in big, capital letters, “TE AMO ARGENTINA” (“I love you Argentina“).
I do too, Paavo, I do too.
