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Last night, Lina and I went to see ATB play live at M Bar. The party was run by Ritual, the same people who have hosted other famous DJs such as Gabriel and Dresden and Ferry Corsten. Let’s go through the night play by play.

The Arrival

Everyone knows that it’s standard big DJ night protocol to have the main act play at around midnight. The party officially started at around 9pm, and I intended on arriving at 11. I wanted to arrive earlier then 12 mainly to get situated and hear a little bit of the opening DJ’s mixing.

Unfortunately, this was not possible. After a late shopping spree at the Galleria to find an outfit for the night, Lina and I didn’t end up in downtown until about 11:30. The frustration of parking made it seem like we would miss the beginning of ATB’s set. By 11:45 or so we managed to arrive at M Bar.

The “VIP” Area

I had managed to get “VIP” tickets for the event, and was hoping that we’d get a closer view of ATB playing. When Ferry Corsten played at M Bar, he was on the second floor, overlooking the dance floor. Only VIP clubbers could get on the second floor as well. I was hoping that this would be the case again, as it would be more crowded and would give us an opportunity to possibly take some photos with ATB.
This actually wasn’t the case. The VIP area was again upstairs, but this time, the DJ was downstairs. For Gabriel and Dresden’s set, the DJ booth had been downstairs too, and the entire upstairs was closed. I guess the promoters decided that having the DJ downstairs would allow him to be more intimate with the crowd.

They were right.

The Set

ATB’s set was filled with classics, and you almost got the feeling that he figured that he would alienate most of the crowd if he didn’t. I know the United States is usually behind on dance music, but Ferry Corsten and Gabriel and Dresden played a lot of new tracks. Some of the tracks he played included Saltwater, Beautiful Things, Mindcircus, 9pm (till I come), Don’t Stop, Ecstasy, and the Bob Marley song he remixed (I forget its name right now).

To be honest though, it didn’t really bother me whether he played new tracks or not. My mind was set on hearing one song, and that was ATB - Marrakech. I had a feeling that he would play it about 2/3 of the way through the set, and that’s what ended up happening. By that time, Lina and I had made our way to the front of the crowd (it was packed). The second the track came in I recognized it as the A and T Mix. It seemed like it took a while for the rest of the crowd to catch on, but when they did, everyone went wild. I managed to snap a photo of the vinyl as he was playing it. If you’ve heard the A and T Mix, you know that it’s got quite a long breakdown that gradually builds up until it just about explodes. I had never heard it in a club before, but it was always one of my favorite mixes of the track simply because of all the energy that is behind it. The breakdown was, by far, the best part of his set.

The Quest For A Photo

Up until this night, I had seen all of my favorite DJs perform. All except for one. I’ve owned every single ATB album but have never had the opportunity to see him perform live. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I had to get a chance to get closer then the front of the crowd.

It’s funny how life works sometimes. I recognized a lot of people from the previous times Lina and I had seen DJs play, but didn’t think they’d recognize us. Oddly enough, someone did, and they kindly got us into the closed off area where ATB was. We stayed there for the rest of the night, and I took as many photos as I could. The unrewarded generousity of a person made all the difference in how the remainder of the night played out.

And with that, I proudly present to you photos from ATB Live @ M Bar - Ritual.